It is a willow when summer is over,
a willow by the river
from which no leaf has fallen nor
bitten by the sun
turned orange or crimson.
The leaves cling and grow paler,
swing and grow paler
over the swirling waters of the river
as if loth to let go,
they are so cool, so drunk with
the swirl of the wind and of the river—
oblivious to winter,
the last to let go and fall
into the water and on the ground.

Analysis, meaning and summary of William Carlos Williams's poem Willow Poem

2 Comments

  1. diala says:

    I think the main idea is that hanging on to life and never giving in to death,like the leaves on the tree,is showing strong will to live!although it’s autmn and the leaves should’ve fallen by now, the leaves cling on as if they don’t want to let go of dear old life. that’s how people should be!

  2. TS Quince says:

    sounds to me like he’s the tree and the river is his alcoho. and he drinks to numb feelings. maybe im wrong. but its a good poem

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