15+ Significant Poems about Seasons

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

Poems about seasons vividly portray the ever-changing beauty of nature’s cycles. These verses may capture spring’s renewal and rebirth, summer’s warmth and vibrancy, the melancholy of autumn’s fading hues, and the stillness and introspection of winter.

Beyond the physical changes in the environment, these poems often draw parallels to the seasons of human life, with each phase offering unique lessons and opportunities for growth. They invite readers to embrace the fleeting nature of existence, finding beauty in the transient nature of time and the perpetual cycle of life.

Poems about Seasons Visual Representation

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"> 95/100

My Garden — like the Beach

by Emily Dickinson

‘My Garden — like the Beach’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful, short poem. It compares the speaker’s garden to the beach and the summer to the sea. Read the full poem, with a complete analysis.

Dickinson refers to the changing seasons to highlight the cyclical nature of life and the beauty that can be found in each season. Summer, in particular, is celebrated as a time of growth and abundance.

My Garden—like the Beach—

Denotes there be—a Sea—

That's Summer—

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"> 91/100

The Snow is Melting

by Kobayashi Issa

‘The Snow is Melting’ is a playful and moving haiku that captures the essence of Issa’s poetic beliefs and values.

The poem features a kigo (season word), with spring indicated by the melting snow and renewed activity. Seasonal transition is not just a backdrop, but the very subject of the poem. It demonstrates the haiku form’s deep connection to the natural calendar. Issa's brilliance lies in his ability to project human experiences onto these natural cycles.

The snow is melting

and the village is flooded

with children.

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"> 82/100

The Flock

by Derek Walcott

‘The Flock’ is a poem that meditates on the cyclical nature of time and the passage of the seasons. Through vivid imagery and a somber tone, the poet reflects on the inevitability of winter’s end, the unchanging nature of the world, and his own place within this cycle of time.

This poem is highly related to the topic of the seasons and the symbolic migration of birds. The poem uses the changing seasons to speak about the passage of time in a way connected to all living creatures, including humans.

The grip of winter tightening, its thinned

volleys of blue-wing teal and mallard fly

from the longbows of reeds bent by the wind,

arrows of yearning for our different sky.

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October

by Linda Pastan

‘October’ by Linda Pastan captures autumn’s fleeting beauty, symbolizing change, time’s passage, and our deep connection to nature.

In this poem, Linda Pastan uses the season of autumn to reflect on life’s transitions. The vibrant transformation of the woods, captured in “crowned with the hammered gold of leaves,” mirrors the fleeting nature of beauty and time. Autumn symbolizes both celebration and impermanence, urging the speaker to embrace change, connect with nature, and cherish life’s transient moments.

How suddenly

the woods

have turned

again. I feel

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January

by Linda Pastan

‘January’ by Linda Pastan reflects on winter’s harshness, symbolizing life’s tough periods. The trees endure, reminding us to stay patient. As seasons shift, so do life’s challenges.

Seasons are a key theme in the poem, as the speaker navigates the harsh winter with the hope of spring’s arrival. Winter represents difficult times, while spring symbolizes growth and new beginnings. The transition from one season to the next parallels the cycles in human life—hard times followed by moments of hope and transformation. Just as nature moves through its seasons, the speaker’s emotional journey unfolds, waiting for a brighter future to emerge.

Contorted by wind,

mere armatures for ice or snow,

the trees resolve

to endure for now,

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To Winter

by William Blake

‘To Winter’ by William Blake depicts the horror that the coming winter season can bring along with its devastation. There is nothing one can do to stop it, the poet admits.

The poem is centered around the changing of seasons, showing how winter comes with its cold and destruction but will eventually be replaced by warmth. Blake presents winter as something that takes over, but he also reminds the reader that it will not last forever. This connects to how life has different seasons as well, with both difficult times and moments of hope and renewal.

O Winter! bar thine adamantine doors:

The north is thine; there hast thou built thy dark

Deep-founded habitation. Shake not thy roofs

Nor bend thy pillars with thine iron car.

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Sumer is icumen in

by W. de Wycombe

‘Sumer is icumen in’ is a song written in the Wessex dialect of Middle English. The brilliance of the composition lies in the use of a refrain that resonates with the consecutive cooing of the Cuckoo.

Summer has arrived,

Loudly sing, cuckoo!

The seed is growing

And the meadow is blooming,

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The Key-Note

by Christina Rossetti

‘The Key-Note’ by Christina Rossetti speaks about the dark winter season and how hope and perseverance are required to get through it.

The seasons are a main part of this poem. The speaker uses the seasons to speak about life's ups and downs. She's experienced a difficult period in her life, and she compares her feelings of depression to the cold, dark of winter.

Where are the songs I used to know,

Where are the notes I used to sing?

I have forgotten everything

I used to know so long ago;

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To Spring

by William Blake

‘To Spring’ by William Blake is a thought-provoking and beautiful poem that celebrates Spring. The poet uses repeated examples of personification and figurative language in order to describe the season.

The poem focuses on the changing of the seasons, especially the shift from winter to spring. Blake shows how nature reacts to these changes, describing how the land eagerly waits for spring to arrive. The poem suggests that seasons are more than just weather patterns—they shape the world and influence emotions. Blake captures how people and nature look forward to the warmth and renewal that spring brings.

O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down

Through the clear windows of the morning, turn

Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,

Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring!

#10

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Trees

by Joyce Kilmer

Kilmer’s ‘Trees’ marvels at nature’s beauty, declaring trees as divine art surpassing human creation, in simple yet profound couplets.

The cycle of Seasons is beautifully captured in ‘Trees’. Kilmer describes how ‘snow has lain’ upon the tree in winter and how it ‘may in summer wear a nest of robins.’ These lines evoke the tree’s adaptability and harmony with life’s rhythms, celebrating nature’s resilience and its seamless coexistence with time and change.

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

#11

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As Imperceptibly as Grief

by Emily Dickinson

‘As imperceptibly as grief’ by Emily Dickinson analyzes grief. The poet compares it to the passing away of the summer.

While there are official dates to determine the changing seasons, the exact moment that one feels as though it has ended is very hard to pin down. We become aware that summer has ended after the fact and cannot determine the precise moment when it happened. Dickinson implies that a mourning person goes through the same process with their feelings.

As imperceptibly as Grief

The Summer lapsed away—

Too imperceptible at last

To seem like Perfidy—

#12

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To Autumn

by William Blake

‘To Autumn’ by William Blake is a simple, evocative poem about the joys, colors, and emotions of the autumn season.

Blake captures the natural cycle of the seasons, showing autumn as an important part of this ongoing change. Instead of focusing on the end of summer or the arrival of winter, he embraces the moment as it is. The poem reminds readers that every season has its own beauty and purpose, encouraging them to enjoy autumn for what it brings before the next season takes over.

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained

With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit

Beneath my shady roof; there thou mayst rest,

And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,

#13

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April

by Linda Pastan

Linda Pastan’s poem captures the delicate beauty of spring, urging us to embrace fleeting moments of nature’s renewal.

The poem navigates the theme of seasons by portraying spring as a time of growth and change. Through its depiction of blossoming life, it contrasts the cold dormancy of winter, highlighting nature's resilience and renewal. This cyclical perspective invites readers to reflect on how life mirrors the seasons, with each phase bringing its own challenges and joys.

In the pastel blur

of the garden,

the cherry

and redbud

#14

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Summer

by Louise Glück

Louise Glück’s ‘Summer’ reflects on love’s evolution, from passion to quiet acceptance, using nature to mirror these changes through the seasons.

Seasons play a big role in this poem, showing how love and life follow similar patterns. Summer reflects the intensity and excitement of passion, while autumn brings the calm and cooler emotions of reflection. It’s such a relatable way to describe relationships, tying human experiences to the cycles of nature. The seasons remind us that just like the weather, emotions shift, and that’s a completely normal part of life.

Remember the days of our first happiness,

how strong we were, how dazed by passion,

lying all day, then all night in the narrow bed,

sleeping there, eating there too: it was summer,

#15

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December

by Linda Pastan

Linda Pastan’s ‘December’ captures winter’s quiet beauty, life’s fleeting moments, and the hope of renewal, like snow melting into new beginnings.

Seasons frame the poem’s exploration of time, focusing on winter’s close and the hope of renewal. This transition symbolizes broader life cycles, offering comfort in the rhythm of change and continuity. It serves as a reminder that no season, or stage in life, is permanent. Through this cyclical process, readers find solace in knowing that growth and rebirth follow every period of dormancy, encouraging them to accept and embrace life’s constant transformations with hope and resilience.

The white dove of winter

sheds its first

fine feathers;

they melt

Home » Collection » Poems about Seasons

15+ Significant Poems about Seasons

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

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Poetry+

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15+ Significant Poems about Seasons

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

by Emily Dickinson

by Kobayashi Issa

by Derek Walcott

by Linda Pastan

by Linda Pastan

by William Blake

by W. de Wycombe

by Christina Rossetti

by William Blake

by Joyce Kilmer

by Emily Dickinson

by William Blake

by Linda Pastan

by Louise Glück

by Linda Pastan

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