Lament in Springtime

In the poem, "The Widow's Lament in Springtime," the tone of the poem is depressing and desperate. Throughout the work, the author expresses the Widow's broken heart by using negative words such as "sorrow", "cold", and "grief" which implies that the widow is mournful and reflective on her husband's death. The voice and diction used in the poem allow the reader to feel the sadness that the woman feels, and come to terms with the pain she is enduring. Although she still has a lot of life ahead of her, she wishes to skip life without her partner, and arrive at her final destination. This desire led me to believe that she was unhappy with her life now, even though beauty still surrounded her.

The colors and descriptive words used in this poem could be considered symbols. For example, "color some bushes, yellow and some red...he saw trees of white flowers," (lines 13-24). In these particular lines, the choice of colors the poet used signify individual emotions. "Red" usually represents passion, "Yellow" represents love, and "White" is usually seen as purity. These words describe the emotions felt by the widow after the loss of her husband. Another device used in this poem is an oxymoron. In the fifth line, Williams uses the phrase "cold fire" which implies a contradiction. Different from the norm, the fire is no longer warm and comforting, but it is cold and uncomfortable. Instead of providing comfort, it provides pain.