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The Full Text of “The Spring”
1Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost
2Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost
3Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream
4Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;
5But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,
6And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth
7To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree
8The drowsy cuckoo, and the humble-bee.
9Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring
10In triumph to the world the youthful Spring.
11The valleys, hills, and woods in rich array
12Welcome the coming of the long'd-for May.
13Now all things smile, only my love doth lour;
14Nor hath the scalding noonday sun the power
15To melt that marble ice, which still doth hold
16Her heart congeal'd, and makes her pity cold.
17The ox, which lately did for shelter fly
18Into the stall, doth now securely lie
19In open fields; and love no more is made
20By the fireside, but in the cooler shade
21Amyntas now doth with his Chloris sleep
22Under a sycamore, and all things keep
23Time with the season; only she doth carry
24June in her eyes, in her heart January.
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“The Spring” Introduction
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“The Spring” Summary
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“The Spring” Themes
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The Hopelessness of Unrequited Love
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
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The Beauty of Nature
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Spring”
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Lines 1-4
Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost
Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost
Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream
Upon the silver lake or crystal stream; -
Lines 5-8
But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,
And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth
To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree
The drowsy cuckoo, and the humble-bee. -
Lines 9-12
Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring
In triumph to the world the youthful Spring.
The valleys, hills, and woods in rich array
Welcome the coming of the long'd-for May. -
Lines 13-16
Now all things smile, only my love doth lour;
Nor hath the scalding noonday sun the power
To melt that marble ice, which still doth hold
Her heart congeal'd, and makes her pity cold. -
Lines 17-22
The ox, which lately did for shelter fly
Into the stall, doth now securely lie
In open fields; and love no more is made
By the fireside, but in the cooler shade
Amyntas now doth with his Chloris sleep
Under a sycamore, -
Lines 22-24
and all things keep
Time with the season; only she doth carry
June in her eyes, in her heart January.
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“The Spring” Symbols
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January/Winter
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“The Spring” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metaphor
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Personification
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Imagery
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Alliteration
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“The Spring” 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.
- Hath
- Candies
- Casts
- Icy cream
- Benumbed
- Swallow
- Drowsy cuckoo
- Humble-bee
- Chirping minstrels
- Rich array
- Long'd-for
- Doth
- Lour
- Congeal'd
- Amyntas
- Chloris
- Sycamore
Hath-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Spring”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Spring” Speaker
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“The Spring” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Spring”
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More “The Spring” Resources
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External Resources
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Pastoral Poetry 101 — Learn more about the idyllic world of pastoral poetry, the influence of which appears in this poem's mentino of the shepherd Amyntas and his beloved Chloris.
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Thomas Carew's Life and Work — A biography of the poet via the Poetry Foundation.
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A Reading of Carew's Poem — Listen to "The Spring" out loud.
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Who Were the Cavalier Poets? — Read about the school of poets with whom Carew is usually associated.
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