A line by line analysis and notes on this poem. This will help you understand what the poem means in simple terms.

2. Do you think this
is true?

3. 1. The morning sun is shining on
2. The green, green willow tree,
3. And sends a golden sunbeam
4. To dance upon my knee.
5. The fountain bubbles merrily,
6. The yellow locusts spring,
7. Of life and light and sunshine
8. The happy brown birds sing.
9. The earth is clothed with beauty,
10.The air is filled with song,
11.The yellow thorn trees load the wind
12.With odours sweet and strong.
13.There is a hand I never touch
14.And a face I never see;
15.Now what is sunshine, what is song,
16.Now what is light to me?

4. First
quatrain
Romantic (with a capital R): a poetic
movement that focussed on the
beauty of nature and passionate
emotions.
* * *
1 / 2
These lines set the scene: a beautiful
morning, surrounded by nature. This
is a typically Romantic theme and
tone.
Personification. The sun sends a
beam - it seems that the sun is kind.
Personification. The beam dances: it
emphasizes the beauty of the sun
and creates a joyful atmosphere.
1. The morning sun is shining on
2. The green, green willow tree,
3. And sends a golden sunbeam
4. To dance upon my knee.

5. second
quatrain
5 / 6
The description of the beauty of
nature is expanded.
Personification. ‘Merrily’ gives the
fountain the human quality of
being joyful.
7 / 8
Personification. Not only do the
birds sings but their lyrics
describe the beauty of the
morning.
5. The fountain bubbles merrily,
6. The yellow locusts spring,
7. Of life and light and sunshine
8. The happy brown birds sing.

6. third
quatrain
9 / 10
Personification. The earth is
dressed in beauty which shows
how every single part of the earth
is covered with beauty.
11 / 12
Odours: smells.
Alliteration: The repetition of the
‘s’ sound emphasizes how
smooth and wonderful the smell
is.
9. The earth is clothed with beauty,
10. The air is filled with song,
11. The yellow thorn trees load the wind
12. With odours sweet and strong.

7. fourth
quatrain
The speaker switches suddenly to
describe his sense of loneliness:
someone left him and it has
obviously affected him
dramatically for him to think of
that person in the middle of a
perfect morning.
The repetition of form in these
lines drives the sense of loss
home.
The word ‘now’ shows us that the
speaker wants us to consider the
morning in light of the fact that he
is missing someone.
These lines imply that the
morning, regardless of it’s beauty,
means absolutely nothing to him
because he is lacking something
of far greater value than any
morning: a special person. (The
nature of their relationship is left
13. There is a hand I never touch
14. And a face I never see;
15. Now what is sunshine, what is song,
16. Now what is light to me?

8. Tone, Rhyme, Rhythm
Type: Ballad
Tone
The first three quatrains have
a calm and blissful tone. The
last has a sad and lonely
tone.
Rhyme
The poem has an ABCB
rhyme scheme
Rhythm
The lines mostly alternate
between 8 and 6 syllables
each.

9. Questions
1. What senses are engaged in
this poem? Give one example
of each.
2. What is the tone of the first 12
lines?
3. What is the tone of the last
four lines?
4. Explain this shift in tone.
5. Who do you think the face
and hand belong to in the last
four lines?