"Snow" is an early poem by Louis MacNeice, first published in 1935, that examines nothing less than the nature of existence itself. Looking out a bay window, the poem's speaker is suddenly struck by the stark contrast between the white snow falling outside and some pink roses (presumably inside on the window sill). This sight makes the speaker think about how vast, wildly diverse, and mysterious the world is.

• Read the full text of “Snow”

• “Snow” Summary

• “Snow” Themes

  • 

    The Diversity and Variety of the World

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Snow”

  • Lines 1-2

    The room was ...
    ... roses against it

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-4

    Soundlessly collateral and ...
    ... we fancy it.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    World is crazier ...
    ... things being various.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-10

    And the fire ...
    ... than one supposes—

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 11-12

    On the tongue ...
    ... the huge roses.

    

    

    

    

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• “Snow” Symbols

  • 

    The Window

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “the great bay-window was / Spawning snow and pink roses against it”
    • Line 12: “There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses.”
  • 

    The Tangerine

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 6-7: “I peel and portion / A tangerine and spit the pips”

• “Snow” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “room,” “rich”
    • Line 2: “Spawning snow”
    • Line 6: “plural,” “peel,” “portion”
    • Line 7: “pips”
    • Line 9: “fire flames,” “sound”
    • Line 10: “spiteful,” “supposes”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “great bay-window”
    • Line 2: “snow,” “roses”
    • Line 3: “Soundlessly collateral,” “incompatible”
    • Line 7: “spit,” “pips”
    • Line 8: “drunkenness,” “various”
    • Line 12: “snow,” “roses”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 11: “On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of one's hands—”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “room,” “rich”
    • Line 2: “Spawning snow,” “pink,” “against”
    • Lines 3-3: “S / oundlessly collatera / l”
    • Line 3: “incompatible”
    • Line 4: “suddener,” “fancy”
    • Line 6: “Incorrigibly plural,” “peel,” “portion”
    • Line 7: “spit,” “pips”
    • Line 8: “drunkenness,” “things being various”
    • Line 9: “fire flames,” “bubbling,” “sound,” “world”
    • Line 10: “spiteful,” “supposes”
    • Line 12: “glass,” “snow”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “was / Spawning”
    • Lines 2-3: “it / Soundlessly”
    • Lines 6-7: “portion / A”
    • Lines 7-8: “feel / The”
    • Lines 9-10: “world / Is”

  • Juxtaposition

    

    

    

    

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    Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 2-3: “Spawning snow and pink roses against it / Soundlessly collateral and incompatible:”
    • Line 9: “And the fire flames with a bubbling sound”
    • Line 12: “There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses.”

  • Personification

    

    

    

    

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    Where personification appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “the great bay-window was / Spawning snow”
    • Lines 5-6: “World is crazier / and more of it than we think, / Incorrigibly plural.”
    • Lines 9-10: “world / Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes—”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “World is”
    • Line 5: “World is”
    • Lines 6-7: “I peel and portion / A tangerine and spit the pips and feel”
    • Line 9: “And”
    • Line 11: “On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of one's hands—”

• “Snow” 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.

  • Bay-window
  • Spawning
  • Incompatible
  • Collateral
  • Suddener
  • Fancy
  • Incorrigibly
  • Pips
  • For
  • Spiteful
  • Gay
  • (Location in poem: Line 1: “the great bay-window”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Snow”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Snow” Speaker

• “Snow” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Snow”

• More “Snow” Resources

  • External Resources

    • "On Louis MacNeice" — Listen to a podcast created by the London Review of Books about MacNeice's life and work.

    • MacNeice's Bioragphy — Learn more about MacNeice's life story via the Poetry Foundation. 

    • MacNeice in Print and Portrait — Check out some images of the poet himself. 

    • MacNeice and the BBC — Listen to a short piece by poet Paul Muldoon that looks at MacNeice's work as a radio producer.  

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Louis MacNeice

    • Prayer Before Birth

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