“The Summer Day” is a short poem by the American poet Mary Oliver, first published in her collection House of Light (1990). Its speaker wonders about the creation of the world and then has a close, marvelous encounter with a grasshopper. This prompts the speaker to meditate on mortality, human beings' relationship with nature, and the preciousness of life. One of Oliver's most famous poems, "The Summer Day" ultimately challenges readers to find and fulfill their life's purpose.
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The Full Text of “The Summer Day”
The Full Text of “The Summer Day”
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“The Summer Day” Summary
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“The Summer Day” Themes
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The Purpose of Life
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-19
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The Beauty and Mystery of the Natural World
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-19
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Summer Day”
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Lines 1-3
Who made the ...
... made the grasshopper? -
Lines 4-8
This grasshopper, I ...
... and complicated eyes. -
Lines 9-10
Now she lifts ...
... and floats away. -
Lines 11-15
I don't know ...
... doing all day. -
Lines 16-17
Tell me, what ...
... and too soon? -
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“The Summer Day” Symbols
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The Grasshopper
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 3-10: “Who made the grasshopper? / This grasshopper, I mean— / the one who has flung herself out of the grass, / the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, / who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— / who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. / Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. / Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.”
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“The Summer Day” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 5: “one,” “flung”
- Line 7: “down”
- Line 8: “around”
- Line 9: “Now,” “face”
- Line 10: “Now,” “away”
- Line 11: “don't know”
- Line 12: “know”
- Line 17: “too soon”
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Sibilance
Where sibilance appears in the poem:- Line 3: “grasshopper”
- Line 4: “This,” “grasshopper”
- Line 5: “herself,” “grass”
- Line 13: “grass,” “grass”
- Line 14: “blessed,” “stroll”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 2: “black bear”
- Line 9: “forearms,” “face”
- Line 10: “floats”
- Line 11: “prayer”
- Line 12: “pay”
- Line 15: “doing,” “day”
- Line 16: “done”
- Line 17: “Doesn't,” “die”
- Line 18: “plan”
- Line 19: “with,” “one wild,” “precious”
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 2: “black bear”
- Line 4: “This grasshopper”
- Line 5: “flung herself,” “grass”
- Line 9: “she lifts her pale forearms,” “thoroughly washes her face”
- Line 10: “snaps,” “open,” “floats”
- Line 11: “prayer”
- Line 12: “pay”
- Line 14: “idle,” “blessed,” “stroll”
- Line 15: “doing,” “day”
- Line 17: “Doesn't,” “die,” “last,” “too soon”
- Line 18: “Tell,” “plan”
- Line 19: “with,” “one wild,” “life”
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Rhetorical Question
Where rhetorical question appears in the poem:- Lines 1-3: “Who made the world? / Who made the swan, and the black bear? / Who made the grasshopper?”
- Lines 16-19: “Tell me, what else should I have done? / Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? / Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?”
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Anaphora
Where anaphora appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Who made the”
- Line 2: “Who made the”
- Line 3: “Who made the”
- Line 5: “the one who”
- Line 6: “the one who is”
- Line 7: “who is”
- Line 8: “who is”
- Line 9: “Now she”
- Line 10: “Now she”
- Line 11: “I don't know”
- Line 12: “I do know,” “how to,” “how to”
- Line 13: “how to”
- Line 14: “how to,” “how to”
- Line 16: “Tell me”
- Line 18: “Tell me”
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Juxtaposition
Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:- Line 2: “Who made the swan, and the black bear?”
- Line 7: “who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—”
- Lines 11-14: “I don't know exactly what a prayer is. / I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down / into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, / how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,”
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Personification
Where personification appears in the poem:- Lines 4-10: “This grasshopper, I mean— / the one who has flung herself out of the grass, / the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, / who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— / who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. / Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. / Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.”
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“The Summer Day” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Complicated
- Blessed
- Idle
- Wild
- Precious
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(Location in poem: Line 8: “her enormous and complicated eyes.”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Summer Day”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Summer Day” Speaker
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“The Summer Day” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Summer Day”
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More “The Summer Day” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poet Remembered — The poet Billy Collins reflects on Oliver's poetic legacy.
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to Mary Oliver read "The Summer Day."
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Oliver's Life and Work — A brief biography of Oliver from the Poetry Foundation.
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What Is Nature Poetry? — A short entry on nature poetry by the poet Edward Hirsch.
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Listening to the World — A rare interview with Oliver from the On Being Project.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Mary Oliver
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