Themes
The main themes of the poem are the passage of time and death. Through the description of the progress of a day, Morgan鈥檚 speaker shows how vitality fades and, as a conclusion, disappears completely. Though the language he employs is engaging, the dark nature of this message sticks in the reader鈥檚 mind.
Tennyson鈥檚 poem was a tale of suffering and lamentation and with such close links to his work, Morgan鈥檚 poem possesses a similarly despairing, bleak and nihilistic quality. As time passes, a person becomes more aware of his or her distance from youthful promise and possibility.
What we also understand is the speaker鈥檚 recognition of the inevitability of death. The metaphor of the pond as life is particularly effective as we see that, with the passing seasons, all things change and are part of a natural process.
If spring represents fertility and vitality, winter comes as the natural conclusion to the cycle. Though Morgan鈥檚 language provides an eloquent examination of a dark idea, his skill also leaves a haunting image in the reader鈥檚 mind.