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Poem # 3
Loveliest
of Trees, The Cherry Now
By: A. E. Housman
Text
& Explanation
Reference:
These lines have been taken from
the poem “Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry” now Witten by “A.E. Houseman”.
Context:
The poet emphasizes on enjoying the
natural beauty of cherry trees. According to the poet, even seventy years of
life are not enough to enjoy the beauty of cherry trees. He has expressed his
deep love for nature in a simple but captivating manner. The cherry tree is a
resource fascination and inspiration for the poet.
Lines 1-4:
Loveliest
of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing
white for Easter tide.
Explanation:
The poet is spell-bound by the
beauty of cheery trees which are in full swing and their branches are loaded
with flowers. They are covered with snow and standing about the woodland ride.
The poet symbolizes the white blossoming of cheery trees with Easter. It seems
as if they have worn this white dress to celebrate Easter. The language of the
poem is simple and attractive.
Lines 5-8:
Now,
of my three score years and ten
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy Springs a score,
It
only leaves me fifty more.
Explanation:
In these lines, the poet says that
according to the Bible, Man's average age, on this earth, is seventy years. And the
poet has spent twenty years of his life. Now the remaining fifty years are not
enough to enjoy the beauty of the cherry trees. That's why he feels dejected.
The language used by the poet is simple yet impressive.
Lines 9-12:
And
since to look at things in bloom
Fifty Springs are little room,
About the woodland, I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
Explanation:
In these lines, the poet is worried about how to enjoy the beauty of nature in this short period of life. Even fifty springs
cannot satiate his romantic and aesthetic desires for cherry trees. So, he decides
to go to see the cherry tree hung with snow. There is a slight hint of the poet's
escapism from the harsh realities of life. We find a rhyme scheme of 'bloom, room'
and 'go, snow' which gives a musical touch in the poem.