50+ Poems about Winter - Poem Analysis

Winterisation

by Jean Bleakney

‘Winterisation’ subtly weaves the processes of preparing for winter and steeling oneself for news of bereavement.

As the title suggests, the poem is fixated on the arrival of winter and the troubles that come with it.

Emmonsail’s Heath in Winter

by John Clare

‘Emmonsail’s Heath in Winter’ by John Clare is a beautiful nature poem that describes a specific area in Northamptonshire in winter. The poem focuses on plants and birds.

The fact that this nature poem takes place in winter is a key part of the text. There is so much life, Clare suggests, even during winter. He suggests that no matter the time of year, or one's assumptions about the landscape, there is something beautiful and lively to observe.

In Cold Storm Light

by Leslie Marmon Silko

‘In Cold Storm Light’ by Leslie Marmon Silko is a beautifully written nature poem that focuses on a winter day. The poem uses multiple examples of imagery to describe the scene.

Winter is one of the primary topics at work in this poem. The poet describes a winter scene that brings up various sense-images, like smells and tastes. She uses figurative language to describe the scene's effect on her speaker.

The First Snowfall

by James Russell Lowell

‘The First Snowfall’ by James Russell Lowe is a deeply sad poem about the death of a child and what it’s like to consider that loss as time passes.

Winter is an important topic in this poem. It's alluded to in the title and features heavily throughout all the stanzas. The season symbolizes the loss that the speaker and his surviving daughter experienced.

Somebody’s Mother

by Mary Dow Brine

‘Somebody’s Mother’ by Mary Dow Brine is a heartbreaking and heartwarming poem about caring for strangers.

Winter is a central part of this poem. The poet sets the poem in the winter season in an unknown location. But, the difficult weather adds a great deal to the reader's understanding. The face that the conditions are so bad makes it more dangerous for the elderly woman to cross the street and even be outside at all.

1914

by Wilfred Owen

The best inspirations for poetry, or any art, really, as with the case of Owen’s ‘1914,’ come from anything that is real and important in the life of the writer.

A Dirge

by Christina Rossetti

‘A Dirge’ by Christina Rossetti is a thoughtful and moving poem about death. It speaks on the birth and death of an important person in the speaker’s life.

A Frosty Night

by Robert Graves

Robert Graves presents a compelling duologue in his poetic ballad, ‘A Frosty Night.’ He uses simple ideas and complex language to create a meaningful poem.

A Song of Winter Weather

by Robert Service

A Song: Ask me no more where Jove bestows

by Thomas Carew

‘A Song: Ask me no more where Jove bestows’ by Thomas Carew describes how in winter beauty doesn’t die, rather, it moves from nature to the listener’s body.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

by Clement Clarke Moore

‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ or ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas describes the encounter of a speaker with St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve.

A Winter’s Tale

by D.H. Lawrence

‘A Winter’s Tale’ by D.H. Lawrence tells a tale of two parting lovers who meet in the woods on a dark and misty winter day.

Advent

by Gillian Clarke

Gillian Clarke’s free-verse poem ‘Advent’ depicts a lifeless winter landscape where everything is frozen to a state that instills despair and hopelessness in the speaker’s heart.

After Apple-Picking

by Robert Frost

‘After Apple-Picking’ by Robert Frost begins with an apple-picker’s thoughts after a day of work. The poem goes on to explore themes of life and death.

After the Winter

by Claude McKay

‘After the Winter’ by Claude McKay is a thoughtful and beautiful poem. Its speaker looks towards the future and considers the ideal life he’ll live with his partner.

Another Reluctance

by Annie Finch

‘Another Reluctance’ by Annie Finch is a beautiful short poem about a childhood experience. The speaker describes waiting for and watching chestnuts fall.

At Castle Wood

by Emily Brontë

Aviation

by Alice Fulton

‘Aviation’ by Alice Fulton is a poem about a single speaker’s highly relatable feelings of isolation in her small town. She sees herself as separate and alienated from those around her.

Birches

by Robert Frost

‘Birches’ is one of the most famous, admired, and thoughtful Robert Frost poems. The poem profoundly describes something simple, an ordinary incident, in elevated terms.

Bleak Weather

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

‘Bleak Weather’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox describes the coming of winter and how the newly “bleak” days might impact a relationship.

Blizzard

by William Carlos Williams

‘Blizzard’ by the American poet William Carlos Williams is filled with vivid imagery of a blinding snowstorm and its aftermath. This poem taps on the themes of time, human history, and personal experiences.

Change Upon Change by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

‘Change Upon Change’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a poem about lost love and change. The poet depicts her internal changes through images of the changing seasons.

Crocus

by Alfred Kreymborg

Desert Places

by Robert Frost

‘Desert Places’ by Robert Frost is a dark poem that uses a snowstorm to depict universal human loneliness and the inevitable return of depression.

Discovery

by Florence Ripley Mastin

‘Discovery’ by Florence Ripley Mastin describes a walk through the woods during which a speaker experiences an important change.

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter

by Robert Bly

Robert Bly’s ‘Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter’ is about a speaker who meditates upon snowy nature while driving to a town to mail his letter. It is filled with rich imagery and striking symbolism.

Good Hours

by Robert Frost

‘Good Hours’ by Robert Frost is a powerful poem about isolation. Frost presents the reader with the image of a man who is at a physical and emotional distance from others.

Journey of the Magi

by T.S. Eliot

Journey of the Magi’ by T.S. Eliot describes the terrible conditions through which the Magi traversed to meet the Christ child.

London Snow

by Robert Bridges

‘London Snow’ by Robert Bridges describes an early morning snowfall in London and the reactions of those who walk within it.

Winter Poems