One of the themes of Hardy's poetry that it is hard to
ignore is the weather and the countryside, and in this simplistic poem Hardy re-visits
these themes by focussing on two different states of weather and how one is desired and
loved by himself and others and the other state of weather is disliked and
shunned.
The first season is spring, when "showers betumble
the chestnut spikes, / And nestlings fly." The singing of the nightingale and the
feeling of joy in people as spring comes, announcing the end of winter, creates an
excitement in the natural world that is shared by the
narrator.
The second season is autumn, which "the shepherd
shuns." This is when "beeches drip in browns and duns," and birds such as rooks, in an
attempt to escape the bad weather, "homeward go." This sentiment of wanting to escape
the bad weather is shared by the narrator, who likewise heads home to his warm
house.
Things to note in this poem is the simplistic,
child-like rhythm that is reinforced by repetition of lines such as "And so do I," that
make this a poem more for children compared to Hardy's more serious
poems.
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