Spring and Fall: To a Young Child

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1918

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Innocence and Knowledge

The poem’s move from symbolic spring (Margaret’s state of blissful unawareness) to fall mirrors the inherent tension between innocence and knowledge. Innocence is a state in which Margaret believes that both she and the world are permanent and invincible. In this state, Margaret is one with the wonders of the world. However, the reality is that the world is impermanent and mortal. Understanding this reality is knowledge. The coming of knowledge therefore punctures Margaret’s ideal world view, infusing it with the poison of uncertainty, pain, and grief. As she grows up and gains more knowledge, Margaret will know that the “things of man” (Line 3) can be lost at any time, which will create in her negative emotions. Thus, knowledge is associated with pain. This echoes the biblical themes of the poem, where it is the consumption of the fruit of knowledge that causes Adam and Eve to be expelled from the perfect “goldengrove” (Line 2) of the Garden of Eden in Paradise. Interestingly, the first thing Adam and Eve do when they gain knowledge is experience shame at their state of undress and clothe themselves in leaves. Shame is again a negative emotion. However, the speaker’s perspective differs from the Biblical narrative in that the loss of innocence is seen as a curse and not the culpable destiny human beings brought upon themselves. The speaker’s empathy towards Margaret’s loss of innocence and her mortality shows that they steer clear of a determinist view of human life. In the speaker’s worldview, innocence and knowledge are life stages, which every human being goes through. Moreover, innocence and knowledge are not opposites; innocence itself contains the seed of knowledge, as is seen in Margaret’s all-too-easy understanding of the concept of loss. Innocence and knowledge are thus a continuum.

Mortality and Death

Though the poem begins with the beautiful image of goldengrove, evoking lush, resplendent grandeur, the image is tinged with the idea of grieving. As it happens, the word “grieving” occurs before “goldengrove,” establishing the poem’s overwhelming mood of loss. Margaret does not know the source of her pain, but the wiser and more melancholy speaker, worn down by the ravages of time and experience, knows that her grief is inextricably linked with her humanity. In fact, her humanity itself is the source of her sadness. In the worldview of the poem, mortality and the human condition are one and same. The predicament of humans is how to rejoice in the momentary joys of life, knowing that loss is around the corner. The poem’s mood of gloom deepens as the speaker projects his own melancholy onto Margaret’s imagined future. This reveals that it is truly the speaker, rather than Margaret, who is sad at the impermanence of human life. The poem balances its melancholy outlook with its rich, innovative language and musical rhyme scheme. The rhyming couplets give it a sing-song quality that belies its somber theme of impeding death. The only consolation in the poem is the consolation of beauty and art, as in the careful, gorgeous crafting of Hopkins’s verse itself, as well as the consolation of empathy. The speaker empathizes with Margaret’s sorrow because it is their sorrow too. It is this empathy that is the hope of humankind.

Nature and Attention

One of the most poignant aspects of Margaret’s fall from innocence is that as a grown-up she will not “spare a sigh” (Line 7) of grief at the loss of natural things. In the worldview of “Spring and Fall,” humanity’s loss of innocence coincides with its alienation from the natural world. The adult Margaret’s indifference towards shedding leaves is more devastating than her childhood grief at “goldengrove unleaving” (Line 2). It is not Margaret’s chronological age that alienates her from nature, but the fact of her “heart growing older” (Line 5), or more jaded and inured to natural beauty. Physical ageing is inevitable and must be accepted, but the true loss is the loss of a fresh heart and perspective. The speaker contrasts the two states of wonder and indifference by highlighting that the adult Margaret will not sob even when “worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie” (Line 8). The hyperbolic descriptors emphasize the change in perspective: earlier Margaret wept over one shedding grove, now she will be unmoved by entire worlds of pale, dying trees. Earlier, floating leaves caused her sorrow, now she will ignore an entire forest of leaves trodden into meal or mulch, piece by piece. This alienation from nature depicts a second mortality, a decay of the spirit. The theme is in line with the romanticism of Hopkins. Heavily influenced by romantic poets, such as John Keats (1795-1821), Hopkins believed in the redemptive power of nature. He also hosted complex feelings about urban environments, far preferring the countryside. However, in Hopkins’s case, the romanticism was tempered by his Christian views. He saw nature as a manifestation (but unlike the romantics, not a symbol or substitute) of God’s glory; a truly devout person would never miss the connection between God and nature. In his journals, Hopkins used the terms "inscape" and "instress" to define the characteristics of nature. The terms are complex and open to interpretation, but broadly, inscape is the combination of characteristics that gives each object and being its unique nature, say the tree-ness of a tree. Instress is the brief glimpse into the inscape of an entity, which poetry, among other things can provide. Hopkins created his compound words, such as “goldengrove,” precisely to provide this glimpse. The inscape of natural objects reveals God’s perfection or the reason for God creating them. Thus, paying attention to nature is extremely important, according to Hopkins.