Now The Leaves Are Falling Fast Summary

The poem "Now the Leaves are Falling Fast" depicts the feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction inherent in human life, including life and death.

A Summary of "Now the Leaves Are Falling Fast"

In the opening line, the poet vividly describes the leaves falling from the trees and the fleeting nature of the blossoms. A pram, a type of baby carriage with four wheels, was seen stealing flowers from the ground under a nurse tree as they slowly faded away. The poet used the metaphor that human existence is linked to trees to convey that we inevitably face death from various illnesses and causes. Many people may never achieve their hopes and dreams in their lifetime, leading to feelings of hopelessness and loneliness. Just like trees, every human life must come to an end, and nothing can last forever. Despite this, the cycle of life will continue.

In the second verse, the poet critiqued the selfishness of modern society. He described the messengers of death as being present in various forms, stealing people's joy. The poet observed that people often behave as if they love each other, but ultimately everyone's hands will grow cold after death, symbolizing the inevitability of mortality. Sadly, people have become isolated and lonely, living and dying in solitude.

In the third verse, the poet vividly portrays the scene of numerous deceased individuals being carried in wooden coffins. Their arms were stiffly extended, and the poem sharply criticized humanity for their actions and behavior. The dead were left without possessions, highlighting human materialism's futility. It could be interpreted as a message that they were departing from this world with nothing.

In the fourth verse, the poet uses a metaphor to describe the lives of older men as being like leafless forests. He also talks about how dangerous animals like wolves roam on the earth looking for prey and how people are too scared to speak out against them. The situation on earth is so bad that even angels won't intervene to help. The silence of the nightingale adds to the eerie feeling of impending death.

In the final verse, the poet paints a picture of a lonely and hopeless landscape. However, when winter arrives, there is hope for new life. Travelers waiting a long time can finally quench their thirst when the mountain appears. Despite the initial bleakness, the poem's conclusion is optimistic. The poet compares death to a tree being taken out, offering stillness and peace akin to white waterfalls that bring inner pleasure and calm.

Explanation of The Poem "Now the Leaves Are Falling Fast"Stanza

Now leaves are now falling fast,
Nurse's flowers will not last;
Nurses to the graves are gone,
And the prams go rolling on.

Phrases Meaning

Nurse's flowers:The nurse's flowers bloom beneath or beside a nurse tree.

Prams: Perambulators are four-wheeled infant carriages known as prams.p>

Explanation of the Stanza Mentioned Above

The first line of the poem above describes how quickly the leaves were falling from the trees and how the blossoms wouldn't stay for very long. A four-wheeled baby carriage known as a pram was stealing the flowers growing next to or beneath a supporting tree known as a "nurse" as they slowly withered away. The poet linked human existence to that of trees to convey the idea that all people were fast approaching death from illnesses and other causes. Their hopes and dreams were not realized throughout their lifetime. They consequently felt alone and unhappy. Every human life has to be taken, just like a tree. Nothing could last for so long. The life cycle would nonetheless continue.

Stanza

Whispering neighbors, left and right,
Pluck us from the real delight;
And the active hands must freeze
Lonely on the separate knees.
Whispering neighbours: agents or messengers of death.

Phrases Meaning

Pluck:detach, remove

Freeze: to get very cold after passing away

Explanation of the Stanza Mentioned Above

The second stanza of the poem mentioned above expresses the poet's frustration with the selfishness of modern humankind. The poet said death's messengers might be found everywhere, taking various forms to steal people's enjoyment. In his poem, the poet described how a man's life was made unpleasant by his neighbors, who poked fun at them and stole their joy. People act as though they are in love with one another. Poet also stated that once-active hands would grow icily cold after death, implying that those living now would pass away tomorrow. People were keeping themselves away. They were experiencing loneliness while they lived and passed away.

Stanza

Dead in hundreds at the back
Follow the wooden in our track,
Arms raised stiffly to reprove
In false attitudes of love.

Phrases Meaning

Wooden:coffins of wooden

Stiffly: In a challenging, harsh manner

Wooden:Methods of ideas

Explanation of the Stanza Mentioned Above

In the third line, the poet refers to hundreds of dead bodies being carried behind people in wooden coffins while lifting their arms stiffly in a harsh indictment of humankind for their acts or behavior. While making fun of humans' fake attitudes, the dead were left empty-handed. They could have implied that they were leaving nothing behind in this world.

Stanza

Starving through the leafless wood
Trolls run scolding for their food:
And the nightingale is dumb.
And the angel will not come.

Phrases Meaning

Starving: To suffer or pass away from hunger.

Trolls: Trolls are evil and ugly creatures from Scandinavian mythology.

Nightingale: A little migratory bird

Angle: either a human or artistic viewpoint.

Explanation of the Stanza Mentioned Above

In the fourth line, the author contrasts the life of older men with the leafless forests. He discussed how hungry, evil, and repulsive creatures like wolves were scouring the planet for victims. The gentlemen remained mute because they dared not challenge them. No angel would come to save them because the world had degenerated too far. The nightingale's stunned quiet completed the impression of death.

Stanza

Cold, impossible, ahead
Lists the mountain's lovely head
Whose white waterfall could bless
Travelers in their last distress.

Phrases Meaning

Last distress: Passing away

Explanation of the Stanza Mentioned Above

In the final stanza, the poet described how nothingness, emptiness, and a desert-like environment covered it; yet, when winter arrived, there was something of hope for life. After a very long wait, the mountain finally lifted its head to quench the thirst of all the travelers. The poem's conclusion was optimistic, according to the poet. The poet says every human life must be taken out like a tree. Similar to how white waterfalls bring inner pleasure and tranquility, death brings stillness and peace.

Literary and Poetic Devices

In this poem, the following lyrical and literary strategies have been employed:

• Symbolism is a literary technique in which anything more than the literal meaning of a word, person, place, mark, or abstract notion is represented. The phrase "Prams go rolling on" represents life's cycle.
• Alliteration is the line's repeated use of consonant sounds. The words "falling fast," "graves," and "gone" in the third line of the first stanza of this poem are two examples of alliteration.
• Aabb is the rhyme scheme.
• Anaphora:
  And the nightingale is dumb.
  And the angle won't appear.
• Whispering Neighbors is a metaphor for death's messengers concerning neighbors.
• Enjambment:
  Hundreds of dead at the back
  Take Wooden's lead on our path.
  Walking through the leafless woods
  Trolls scoldingly run after their meal
• An allusion refers to a well-known someone, location, or event. The term "trolls" refers to mythical beings.

FAQ

Question 1: Why is the poet saying, "Now the leaves are falling fast"?

Answer: The poet suggests that trees shed their leaves and become bare due to the falling leaves on their branches. It could also be a metaphor for how people eventually die and end up in a grave. Like a tree, every human life is finite and will come to an end. Mortality is a universal truth, and no one can escape it.

Question 2: What terms are used in the second verse to allude to death and its impact on the body?

Answer: The song's second verse includes the lyrics "Whispering Neighbors, Pluck and Freeze," which express the concept of mortality and how it affects the human body.

Question 3: How do we finish our final journey to the grave?

Answer: When a man dies, hundreds of men carry his body in a wooden coffin to the burial. One ends their final voyage to the grave in this manner.

Question 4: What are the 'Trolls' doing in the 'leafless wood'?

Answer: The trolls are searching for food in the empty forest to stay alive.

Question 5: Who are the "travelers," and how will they be "blessed"?

Answer: As people age, they may travel and experience the beauty of white waterfalls cascading from mountain summits. It is believed that in their final moments, they will be blessed during the process of passing away.

Question 6: Which first stanza words make you think of natural objects?

Answer: In the first verse, "nurse's flowers" refers to natural objects and is meant to describe a nurse.

Question 7: Who exactly are the "whispering neighbors"?

Answer: People who come to a house after someone has died are often considered representatives of death.

Question 8: How can misery creep into human life?

Answer: Illnesses and other problems can cause hardship and sadness in people's lives.

Question 9: How will the travelers get blessings?

Answer: Travelers will be blessed by the white waterfalls that flow from the mountain's summit, especially in their time of need.