Early Spring by Alfred Tennyson (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

Early Spring

by Alfred Tennyson

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

Early Spring

Once more the Heavenly Power

Makes all things new,

And domes the red-plow’d hills

With loving blue;

The blackbirds have their wills,

The poets too.

II.

If any vague desire

Should rise to-day,

That all the woods were green

And all the skies were grey,

The blackbirds and the thrush

Would sing the winter away.

III.

The blackthorn hedges whiten,

The thorn-tree’s roses red,

The tender grass is springing,

The violet’s head

Droops in the warmer rain;

The world is not yet dead.

IV.

Come, let us forth together,

The brooks are brimmed with sun,

The low-down clouds are driving

Across the sky like sheep;

The lark is up and singing,

The cuckoo’s voice is begun.

The swallow skims the water,

The snipe is on the wing,

The yellowhammers chatter

In every bush and tree;

The world is full of music,

And all the world is free.

VI.

O, let us forth together,

The world is wide and fair,

The primrose and the cowslip

Are in the meadow there;

The cuckoo-flower is nodding

By every streamlet’s side,

And all the woods are ringing

With songs of eventide.

VII.

The throstle and the linnet

Are loud in every spray,

The ringdoves in the fir-tops

Are cooing all the day;

The world is full of gladness,

And all the world is gay.

VIII.

Come, let us forth together,

The world is wide and sweet,

The daisies and the buttercups

Are springing at our feet;

The lark is up and singing

His matin song on high,

And all the world is waking

To love and melody.

(Note: This is the complete text as published in Tennyson's 1889 edition of his works. Earlier versions, such as in the 1833 Poems, contained only the first six stanzas; the additional stanzas (VII–VIII in some counts) were added later. The poem is untitled in some collections but commonly referred to as "Early Spring.")

Summary

It is the dawn of spring once more. The heavenly power above breathes new life into the earth. The hills, freshly plowed and glowing red, rise beneath a soft blue dome of sky. Nature is awakening, and in that renewal, both the blackbirds and the poets find their joy and freedom. Their songs and verses rise together, celebrating the beauty of beginning again.

As the day unfolds, a tender longing stirs in the poet’s heart — a wish for endless green woods and silver-grey skies. But before he can linger on the thought, the voices of the blackbirds and thrushes burst into song. Their melodies seem to sweep away the last traces of winter, filling the air with warmth and cheer.

All around, life is stirring. The blackthorn hedges bloom white, the thorn trees are crowned with red roses, and the soft green of new grass carpets the earth. In the gentle rain, the violet bows its purple head. The poet feels a deep assurance that the world, despite its long sleep, is alive once again.

He calls softly to a companion — “Come, let us go out together.” The brooks are glittering under the sunlight; clouds drift low across the blue, herded by the wind like flocks of sheep. High above, the lark sings joyfully, and somewhere in the distance, the cuckoo’s call marks the true arrival of spring.

The air is alive with wings. The swallow skims the water’s surface; the snipe darts through the open sky. From every tree and hedgerow, the yellowhammers chatter their bright songs. The poet feels that the whole world is humming with music — and everything, for this brief, perfect moment, is utterly free.

Again, he urges, “Let us go forth together.” The meadows are wide and fair, dotted with primroses and cowslips. By every shining stream, the cuckoo-flowers nod in the breeze, and as evening draws near, the woods ring with the closing songs of birds welcoming twilight.

The thrushes and linnets fill the branches with their tuneful voices, while the ringdoves murmur softly from the fir trees above. The earth seems wrapped in gladness; the sky glows with joy. Everywhere, nature celebrates the wonder of being alive.

And once more, the poet beckons his companion. The world, he says, is vast and sweet. Beneath their feet, daisies and buttercups brighten the path. Overhead, the lark climbs high into the blue, singing his morning song to heaven. The air itself seems to shimmer with the sound of love and joy — the pure, radiant music of spring’s rebirth.

Line-by-Line Paraphrase

Once more the Heavenly Power

→ Once again, the divine force of nature or God’s power

Makes all things new,

→ Brings renewal and freshness to the whole world,

And domes the red-plow’d hills

→ Covering the red, freshly plowed hills

With loving blue;

→ With a beautiful, loving blue sky above them;

The blackbirds have their wills,

→ The blackbirds sing and act freely as they please,

The poets too.

→ And poets, inspired by spring, also follow their own creative will.

---

II.

If any vague desire

→ If some gentle, undefined wish

Should rise to-day,

→ Should come to mind today,

That all the woods were green

→ Perhaps wishing the forests were already lush and green,

And all the skies were grey,

→ And the sky had a calm, grey tone,

The blackbirds and the thrush

→ Then the cheerful blackbirds and thrushes

Would sing the winter away.

→ Would sing so joyfully that winter itself would seem to disappear.

---

III.

The blackthorn hedges whiten,

→ The blackthorn bushes are blooming with white flowers,

The thorn-tree’s roses red,

→ The thorn trees are blossoming with red flowers,

The tender grass is springing,

→ Soft new grass is beginning to grow,

The violet’s head

→ The violet flowers

Droops in the warmer rain;

→ Bow gently under the touch of warm spring rain;

The world is not yet dead.

→ Nature is alive and thriving once more.

---

IV.

Come, let us forth together,

→ Come, let’s go out together into nature,

The brooks are brimmed with sun,

→ The streams are sparkling brightly in the sunlight,

The low-down clouds are driving

→ Low clouds are moving quickly

Across the sky like sheep;

→ Across the sky, looking like herds of white sheep,

The lark is up and singing,

→ The lark has risen high and is singing joyfully,

The cuckoo’s voice is begun.

→ And the cuckoo has started its familiar springtime call.

---

The swallow skims the water,

→ The swallow flies swiftly and lightly over the surface of the water,

The snipe is on the wing,

→ The snipe bird is flying through the air,

The yellowhammers chatter

→ The yellowhammers are singing and chattering noisily

In every bush and tree;

→ From every tree and bush around,

The world is full of music,

→ The whole world seems filled with music,

And all the world is free.

→ And everything feels open, bright, and free.

---

VI.

O, let us forth together,

→ Oh, come, let’s go out together again,

The world is wide and fair,

→ The world is vast and beautiful,

The primrose and the cowslip

→ The primrose and cowslip flowers

Are in the meadow there;

→ Are blooming in the meadows nearby;

The cuckoo-flower is nodding

→ The pale cuckoo-flower bends and sways gently

By every streamlet’s side,

→ Beside every small stream,

And all the woods are ringing

→ And the forests echo all around

With songs of eventide.

→ With birdsong as the evening approaches.

---

VII.

The throstle and the linnet

→ The thrush and the linnet birds

Are loud in every spray,

→ Sing loudly from every branch,

The ringdoves in the fir-tops

→ The ringdoves perched on the tops of fir trees

Are cooing all the day;

→ Are softly cooing throughout the day;

The world is full of gladness,

→ The whole world seems filled with happiness,

And all the world is gay.

→ Everything feels joyful and cheerful.

---

VIII.

Come, let us forth together,

→ Once more, let’s go out together into this joyful world,

The world is wide and sweet,

→ The world feels open and filled with sweetness,

The daisies and the buttercups

→ Daisies and buttercups

Are springing at our feet;

→ Are blooming right beneath our feet;

The lark is up and singing

→ The lark is high in the sky, singing its morning song,

His matin song on high,

→ His early morning song offered up to heaven,

And all the air is ringing

→ And the whole sky resounds

With songs of love and joy.

→ With the music of love and happiness everywhere.

Analysis

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Early Spring” is a radiant celebration of nature’s renewal and vitality. Written in the spirit of Romantic joy and observation, the poem captures that magical moment when winter yields to spring, when every bird, flower, and brook seems to proclaim the triumph of life over dormancy. Tennyson, like Wordsworth before him, observes the world not merely as a collection of natural forms but as a living, breathing manifestation of divine power. The poem is both a lyrical outpouring of gratitude and a call to share in nature’s joyous awakening.

The Divine Power of Renewal

The opening stanza sets the spiritual tone of the poem. Tennyson begins with the line, “Once more the Heavenly Power / Makes all things new,” immediately attributing the rebirth of the natural world to a divine force. Spring, for Tennyson, is not simply a season — it is an act of creation, a visible sign of God’s loving renewal. The imagery of “red-plow’d hills” under a “loving blue” sky unites the human and the heavenly: the earth, worked by man’s hand, lies beneath the tender, watchful gaze of heaven. The mention of both “blackbirds” and “poets” having their wills suggests that the impulse to sing, to create, and to express joy is a shared instinct between nature and the human soul. The stanza thus fuses religion, art, and nature into one harmonious vision of renewal.

The Call of Spring and the Dissolution of Winter

In the next stanza, Tennyson describes how even a “vague desire” for the greenness of woods or the soft greyness of skies is answered by nature’s own musicians — the blackbirds and thrushes. Their songs “sing the winter away.” This imagery of birds as heralds of warmth gives sound to the process of seasonal change. The transition from winter to spring is not harsh or abrupt but melodic and joyous. Nature’s voices — the birds’ songs — dissolve the coldness of the past, as if music itself has the power to transform the world.

The Awakening of the Earth

The third stanza is filled with the sensual imagery of growth and color. The “blackthorn hedges whiten,” “thorn-tree’s roses red,” and the “violet’s head” drooping in rain create a rich visual and tactile impression of spring’s awakening. Each line is an image of contrast and movement: white against red, new grass pushing through soil, flowers bending under rain. The poet declares, “The world is not yet dead,” expressing not only relief but faith in the persistence of life. After the stillness of winter, these signs of color and softness represent hope restored.

An Invitation to Join Nature’s Celebration

Repeatedly, Tennyson invites his companion — and by extension, the reader — to “come, let us forth together.” This recurring line becomes a gentle refrain throughout the poem, emphasizing companionship and shared experience. Spring, for Tennyson, is not something to be admired from afar but something to be entered, walked through, and lived with. In the fourth stanza, he paints a wide, sunlit scene: “The brooks are brimmed with sun,” and “the low-down clouds are driving / Across the sky like sheep.” The comparison of clouds to sheep is a charming pastoral image, connecting the heavens to the earth. The birds — lark and cuckoo — are again the dominant voices, representing spontaneity and joy.

A World Alive with Sound and Freedom

By the fifth stanza, the world of the poem has become entirely animated. The swallow skims, the snipe soars, and the yellowhammers chatter — each creature engaged in its own music and movement. Tennyson declares, “The world is full of music, / And all the world is free.” Here, freedom is the natural state of existence. The birds are not bound by the restrictions of human life or sorrow; their flight and song embody the liberty that spring brings. The poet’s tone here borders on exultation — a release from the confinement of winter into the boundlessness of light and sound.

Evening Harmony and Spiritual Calm

In the sixth and seventh stanzas, the tone becomes gentler and more reflective. The day moves toward evening, yet the vibrancy continues. Primroses, cowslips, and cuckoo-flowers line the meadows and streamlets, while the air fills with “songs of eventide.” The repetition of bird voices — the thrush, linnet, and ringdove — conveys a seamless continuity of song from dawn to dusk. The natural world seems to exist in an unbroken symphony of praise. Tennyson describes this harmony as both earthly and spiritual — a sense of “gladness” that pervades all creation. It is as though nature itself is participating in a sacred ritual of joy.

Love, Joy, and the Rebirth of the Human Spirit

The final stanza brings the poem to a serene and uplifting conclusion. The invitation is repeated — “Come, let us forth together” — emphasizing companionship once more. The poet and his companion walk through a world carpeted with daisies and buttercups, beneath a sky alive with the lark’s “matin song.” The term “matin”, meaning morning prayer, gives the scene a devotional quality. Spring becomes not only a natural phenomenon but a spiritual experience — a hymn sung by the earth itself. The final line, “With songs of love and joy,” captures the essence of the poem: spring is the season when life, love, and happiness return hand in hand.

Tone, Structure, and Language

Throughout the poem, Tennyson maintains a tone of wonder and gratitude. His diction is simple, lyrical, and musical, reflecting the natural rhythms he describes. The eight short stanzas, each with six lines, flow with a gentle regularity that mirrors the even pulse of nature’s renewal. The repetition of phrases like “Come, let us forth together” gives the poem a rhythmic unity, almost like a refrain in a song. The rhyme and meter are light and graceful, evoking both movement and melody.

Central Idea and Vision

At its heart, “Early Spring” is Tennyson’s hymn to life — an expression of faith in the cyclical beauty of creation. The poem reminds us that, no matter how long the winter or how deep the stillness, renewal always follows. It unites the divine, the natural, and the human in one continuous circle of joy. The blackbirds’ song, the lark’s flight, and the blooming of flowers are all reflections of the same heavenly power that “makes all things new.”

In celebrating the rebirth of the natural world, Tennyson also celebrates the renewal of the human spirit — its capacity to hope, to rejoice, and to love again. “Early Spring” thus stands not merely as a seasonal lyric but as a timeless affirmation of life’s endurance and beauty.