“Winter Song” Summary

“Winter Song” Themes

• 

  Love and Commitment

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Winter Song”

• Lines 1-2

  Ask me no more, my truth to prove,
  What I would suffer for my love.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 3-8

  With thee I would in exile go
  To regions of eternal snow,
  O'er floods by solid ice confined,
  Through forest bare with northern wind:
  While all around my eyes I cast,
  Where all is wild and all is waste.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 9-12

  If there the tim'rous stag you chase,
  Or rouse to fight a fiercer race,
  Undaunted I thy arms would bear,
  And give thy hand the hunter's spear.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 13-16

  When the low sun withdraws his light,
  And menaces an half-year's night,
  The conscious moon and stars above
  Shall guide me with my wand'ring love.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 17-20

  Beneath the mountain's hollow brow,
  Or in its rocky cells below,
  Thy rural feast I would provide.
  Nor envy palaces their pride.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 21-24

  The softest moss should dress thy bed,
  With savage spoils about thee spread:
  While faithful love the watch should keep,
  To banish danger from thy sleep.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

“Winter Song” Symbols

• 

  The Harsh Winter

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.
• 

  The Moon and Stars

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“Winter Song” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Parallelism

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Personification

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Sibilance

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“Winter Song” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Thee/Thy
• Exile
• O'er
• Confined
• My eyes I cast
• Tim'rous
• Stag
• Rouse
• Undaunted
• Bear
• Menaces
• Half-year's night
• Cells
• Rural
• Watch
• Banish

• • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Winter Song”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Winter Song” Speaker

“Winter Song” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Winter Song”

More “Winter Song” Resources

• External Resources

  • More of Tollet's Poetry — Explore a selection of the poet's work. 

  • Tollet and Science — Listen to an eclectic podcast exploring Tollet's life and interests. 

  • Women in the Age of Newton — An article looking the scientific world during Tollet's lifetime.

  • The Role of Women in the 18th Century — An article exploring gender in British society during Tollet's life.