Symbol Analysis
There’s a lot of nature imagery in the poem. The protagonist comes to believe that nature, and not religion, gives meaning to her life. However, without any religious explanation, it’s not clear if she can read any rhyme or reason into the beauty of nature.
- Lines 24-29: In her memory, the woman associates beautiful scenes like "falling snow," "forest blooms," and "wet roads on autumn nights" with specific and powerful emotions. She calls these emotions "divine."
- Line 57: In this section, "April’s green" is a synecdoche: the poet is using one trait of healthy plants – their "green" color – to refer to the freshness and growth that one finds in the spring.
- Lines 70-72: Trees don’t actually "shiver" – they are being personified.
- Lines 99-101: In this subtle metaphor, the trees, hills, and lake are compared to a choir that joins the singing of the pagan men.
- Lines 114-116: The "deer," "quail," and "sweet berries" differ from many of the other images of nature in the poem, because they exist outside the view and control of people.