A List of Spring Poems You Should Read, And Why are So Many Poets Named William?

Spring is finally on its way to Cambridge, but before the magnolias bloom, we must endure the inevitable floods of Spring rain. If you find yourself stuck indoors this week, there’s no better companion than a good list of poetry. Inspired by the English courses at Harvard, friends and acquaintances, and, of course, my own literary tastes, this list offers poems that capture the beauty, melancholy, and nostalgia of the season. Here are a variety of poems that I hope satiate your desires.

Part I: Uh Oh, Spring Has Sprung!

‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ by William Wordsworth

“Through primrose tufts, in that green bower, / The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; / And ‘tis my faith that every flower / Enjoys the air it breathes.”

Wordsworth’s poem or, more fittingly, his meditation on nature in spring blends subtle observations with quiet moral reflection. His careful descriptions of the flowers, the primrose and the periwinkle, reveal his understanding of and care for the serene imagery around him. Of course, the poem isn’t a happy one — it doesn’t rejoice at the coming of spring. Instead, his poem celebrates the harmony of the natural world while lamenting humanity’s estrangement from it. His poem invites readers to observe spring at peace, but with a feeling of melancholy.

‘I dreaded the first Robin, so’ by Emily Dickinson

“I could not bear the Bees should come, / I wished they’d stay away / In those dim countries where they go, / What word had they, for me?”

Dickinson’s poetry shares Wordsworth’s aversion to spring. This poem, with its reference to dreadful bees, reminds one of spring pollen allergies. Whether Dickinson herself had a runny nose or not, she certainly sees spring as unsettling, rather than joyful. Dickinson dreads the return of all the animals and natural life from their winter slumber. However, it is also more than that — it reveals the tension between personal grief and nature’s relentless cycle of rebirth. What makes it more interesting is that she was observing Massachusetts’ spring, as she lived in Amherst. Maybe some can relate to her recollection of New England spring.

Part II: (A Positive Note) Spring Has Sprung!

‘The Evening Wind’ by William Cullen Bryant

“Go—but the circle of eternal change, / Which is the life of nature, shall restore, / With sounds and scents from all thy might range / Thee to thy birthplace of the deep once more;”

Bryant’s lyrical poem is a breath of fresh air (literally), as it evokes sublime power and the continuity of nature. The imagery in this poem brings forth the season of spring by highlighting life’s cyclical rhythms and the restorative force it possesses. This poem is a meditation, like Wordsworth’s, but it brings a more positive note around the gentle transition into springtime.

‘Love’s Growth’ by John Donne

“And yet no greater, but more eminent, / Love by the spring is grown; / As, in the firmament, / Stars by the sun are not enlarged, but shown, / Gentle love deeds, as blossoms on a bough, / From love’s awakened root do but out now.”

Donne’s metaphysical poem, full of metaphors, compares love’s maturation to the flourishing of spring. Like this lovely season, love becomes more refined with time, unbothered by the winters of our years. As Donne and many poets may agree, the season of spring cannot be separated from love: “And though each spring do add to love new heat.”

‘Sonnet 98: From you have I been absent in the spring’ by William Shakespeare

“Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white, / Nor praise the deep vermillion in the rose; / They were but sweet, but figures of delight / Drawn after you, — you pattern of all those.”

This list wouldn’t be complete without one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. This sonnet transforms springtime into a symbol for longing — a different shade of love to Donne’s poem. Despite the beauty of nature, the speaker can find no joy in the flowers of the season. Sonnet 98 is truly special as it highlights that even the splendor of spring in all its beauty pales in comparison to true love.

Part III: Reminiscence of Spring

‘A Man Young and Old: VIII Summer and Spring’ by William Butler Yeats

“And when we talked of growing up / Knew that we’d halved a soul / And fell the one in t’other’s arms / That we might make it whole;”

In this part of his longer poem, “A Mang Young and Old,” Yeats intertwines youthful romance seamlessly with seasonal imagery, while reflecting upon his love and fond memories. This poem reminds us of the bittersweet passage of time, even in moments of vitality and passion.

‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ by William Carlos Williams

“So much depends / upon / a red wheel / barrow / glazed with rain / water / beside the white / chickens.”

This minimalist poem by Williams exemplifies a modernist take on the imagery behind spring. With just these lines, Williams elevates an ordinary rural scene into a meditation on perspective. The image is simple: a rain-glazed red wheelbarrow surrounded by white chickens. But the way Williams positions the line, changes the meaning of the poem. Taking a pause between each line, allows the reader to pay close attention to the otherwise simple spring image and appreciate it as a piece of art.

‘To The Young Who Want to Die’ by Gwendolyn Brooks

“Graves grow no green that you can use. / Remember, green’s your color. You are Spring.”

By associating youth with the vitality of spring, Brooks delivers an urgent message that all should reconsider their suffering and persevere. It is a compassionate message, as she neither dismisses pain nor trivializes it. Graves, devoid of the green, are a symbol for lost potential. Brooks, instead, urges the listener to embody life’s most hopeful stage — “You are spring” — one defined by renewal rather than irreversible finality.

‘The Wasteland’ by T.S. Eliot

“April is the cruelest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / Dull roots with spring rain.”

This list also wouldn’t be complete without T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland.” Although this extensive poem is not completely about the season of spring, it is still a must read. Eliot’s famous opening of the poem reframes the season of spring as a time period of unease rather than rejuvenation and jubilee. There is a discomfort behind the renewal, mentions of decay and disgust. Through his haunting imagery, Eliot explores the emotional complexity behind rebirth and makes us reconsider the joy we experience on the surface as we observe the flowers bloom.

—Staff writer Anastasia Poliakova can be reached at [email protected].