The Spring And The Fall

In Stanza 1 and 2, the color black appears, indicating that black symbolizes something important in the poem. In Stanza 1, the speaker says, "The trees were black where the bark was wet” (Line 3). Then in Stanza 2, the speaker notes, "The rooks went up with a raucous trill” (Line 9). Rooks are a type of crow with black plumage. Thus, before the speaker merges the spring and fall in the final stanza, the reader receives a clue that the two seasons have something in common: the color black.

Black is a dark color, and, in the general context of culture, it often represents something tragic or calamitous. For example, when the Stock Market crashed on October 17, 1987, the day became known as Black Monday. In Stanza 1, the black part of the trees acts as a warning. Although everything is fine in the moment for the speaker and her dear, a crash is coming. Even in springtime, there are inimical elements representing a threat to their love.

Later in Stanza 2, the black crows prepare the reader for the dark turn of the relationship. After the "raucous trill” (Line 9) of the crows, the dear man turns dark and begins to unkindly act toward the woman by laughing at what she admires.