A.E. Housman

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

When I first read this poem, I thought about how Housman was trying to urge me to open my eyes and pay attention to the beauty of the cherry blossoms while they’re in bloom — while I can. Because they will only bloom for a short time, and because Housman can estimate that he only has fifty springs left to enjoy, he emphasizes the urgency in taking time to enjoy the trees whose blossoms are white and full, as if they were snow.

After reading this poem a second time, I sensed this same carpe diem theme and thought about the cherry blossoms outside my own front door, committed to noticing and appreciating them more fully. I also thought about what a shame it is that the blossoms turn to leaves so quickly, and that the time for blossoms is a short one.

With this in mind, I read Housman’s poem a third time, this time noticing something different in the last stanza, specifically in the last line: “About the woodlands I will go/ To see the cherry hung with snow.” For a minute, this was kind of depressing, reminding me that the tree becomes bare and dormant in the winter. But the seize the day component of the poem reinforced to me that this was still a poem about making the most out of the everyday moments. As I began to reinterpret this line, I thought about how I can take it less figuratively and perhaps Housman is literally encouraging us to enjoy the cherry trees even in the winter. This is far more optimistic and far more encouraging of getting joy out of life, all times in life — the winter as well as the seventy springs we will enjoy during our time. This not only creates a positive frame of thinking, but also expands the window for beautiful moments, being that they can be found in all seasons — or in the warm and cold ups and downs of our lives.