Song of a Second April

Mentioned in the poem’s title and featured in the title of the larger poetry collection, the month of April is the central symbol of “Song of a Second April.” As the first full month of spring, April connotes new beginnings and a return to life after a cold winter. Accordingly, Millay describes the “mud” and “dingy snow” (Line 4) left behind as the snow gradually melts in the warmer weather of spring. She also references the return of animals like butterflies (Line 6) and woodpeckers (Line 10), as well as the revival of perennial plants like hepaticas (Line 5). Throughout the poem, Millay uses April as a symbol of opportunity for life to move on and continue, something the speaker cannot do.

Integral to Millay’s portrayal of April are the symbols of butterflies and flowers, which both represent the natural world’s ability to adapt and persist. Despite the mud, snow, (Line 4) and cold, the hepaticas “[a]re here again” (Line 6) once more. These perennial flowers survive the winter and bloom in spring, much to the delight of human observers (Line 5). Though they might suffer during the winter, the flowers persist and return just as they always were. Similarly, Millay evokes butterflies as an image of spring.