“This Is Just To Say” Introduction

• William Carlos Williams published "This Is Just To Say" in 1934. In the poem, the speaker confesses to having sneakily eaten plums from an icebox (a kind of precursor to the modern refrigerator). Because of its casual style, some readers believe it was originally written as a note from Williams to his wife. While the poem certainly can be read as being symbolic—of broad thematic ideas related to temptation, guilt, the Garden of Eden, and so forth—it also might simply be a lovely celebration of life's simple pleasures. A prominent figure of modernist poetry in the United States, Williams was associated with the Imagist movement, which championed the use of clear language and an appreciation of ordinary scenes and images. Although Williams had moved on from this artistic approach by the time he published "This Is Just To Say," the poem's celebration of the joys of eating plums exemplifies the simplicity of Imagism.

• Read the full text of “This Is Just To Say”

“This Is Just To Say” Summary

• The speaker admits to having eaten plums that were previously stored in a cool box or cupboard known as an icebox (what today would be a refrigerator).

  The speaker then admits to knowing that the person to whom the poem is addressed was most likely saving the plums and hoping to eat them for breakfast.

  Because the speaker ate the plums that the other person was saving, the speaker now asks for forgiveness, going on to note that the plums were extremely tempting and delicious because they were extraordinarily sweet and cold.

“This Is Just To Say” Themes

• 

  Temptation, Guilt, and Simple Pleasures

  “This Is Just To Say” can be understood as a poem about the simple pleasures of everyday life. To illustrate this, the poem features a speaker who has eaten chilled plums that another person—perhaps the speaker’s lover—was saving. In the grand scheme of things, this act is rather unremarkable, but the speaker seems to take great joy in having stolen and eaten the plums. And though the speaker asks for forgiveness, it’s abundantly clear that the pure joy of eating these “delicious” plums far outweighs any kind of guilt. This is because the poem is, at least on one level, a celebration of the simple, tempting delights of everyday life—delights like filching sweet plums from an icebox and enjoying them without reservation.

  From the title on, the speaker tries to find the right words to confess to this little act of thievery, yet the apology the speaker delivers doesn’t seem to contain very much regret. Immediately after saying, “Forgive me,” for example, the speaker goes on to talk about how “delicious,” “sweet,” and “cold” the plums were—in a way justifying the thievery on the basis of how tempting the plums were. In this sense, the poem seems to suggest that nobody could possibly be upset with the speaker, given that the plums were so irresistible.

  This also implies that the speaker is still thinking about how satisfying it was to eat the plums, thereby indicating that any sense of guilt related to this act pales in comparison to the speaker’s lasting delight. Accordingly, readers see that the poem isn’t really focused on the speaker’s apology, but rather on the satisfaction the speaker derived from eating the plums in the first place.

  In keeping with this satisfaction, the poem presents the plums as if they are extraordinary treasures. Indeed, it’s almost as if the plums have been hidden away like beloved objects, placed carefully into the safety of the icebox. As a result, readers come to see the plums as too precious to leave out, despite the fact that plums don’t generally need to be chilled or refrigerated.

  In this way, plums emerge in the poem as cherished items that should be handled with delicacy and care, and this makes it easier for readers to understand the enjoyment the speaker experiences upon eating them, since the speaker clearly sees them as special, wonderful treats. It is this enjoyment that pushed the speaker to eat the plums even though it was obvious that this other person was saving them.

  Because “This Is Just To Say” is such a simple poem, it’s worth mentioning that William Carlos Williams was interested in documenting everyday life in a straightforward but meaningful way. To that end, many of his poems spotlight the beauty of life merely by focusing on commonplace things and holding them up to readers for closer inspection.

  This artistic approach is perfectly exemplified by the poem’s title, “This Is Just To Say”—a title that highlights the fact that the poem isn’t trying to make any grand arguments or access any kind of deeper meaning. Rather, the poem merely looks at the gratification that can come from indulging in the pleasures of everyday life, ultimately encouraging readers to appreciate small joys like mischievously savoring the sweet taste of stolen plums.

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-12

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “This Is Just To Say”

• Lines 1-4

  I have eaten ...
  ... the icebox

  The poem begins with the simple statement that the speaker has eaten plums that were stored in an icebox (a box or cupboard used to keep food cool; a precursor to the modern electrical refrigerator). This is a straightforward thing to say, but it's worth noting the way the speaker says it. Indeed, rather than saying, "I ate / the plums," the speaker says, "I have eaten / the plums."

  The difference between these two phrases is subtle, but the speaker's use of the present perfect tense ("have eaten") instead of the past tense ("ate") makes the entire confession seem somehow more immediate, as if the act of eating the plums is still bringing itself to bear on the present. After all, the word "have" is in the present tense, making it seem as if the eating of the plums isn't completely over and done with, though readers don't yet know why this might be the case. The only thing that's clear, then, is that, for some reason, the speaker's experience of eating the plums continues to resonate in this moment, despite the fact that the speaker has already eaten them.

  It's also significant that the plums were stashed in an icebox, since it's usually unnecessary to keep plums chilled. Consequently, the plums themselves come to seem especially precious, since the mere fact that they were placed in an icebox in the first place implies that whoever put them there wanted to treat them with great care.

  Because "This Is Just To Say" is such a simple poem, both its sound and rhythm are particularly noticeable; there are, after all, no difficult words or hidden layers of meaning to untangle. For this reason, the poem's musicality is quite important, as it alerts readers to the nuances of the speaker's overall mood, which, at this point, seems directly tied to the simple act of eating chilled plums.

  With this in mind, the pleasant sound of the first stanza suggests a sense of satisfaction on the speaker's behalf. For instance, the stanza includes a number of consonant syllables that pair nicely with one another, as the /n/ sound appears alongside the /m/ and /l/ sounds to create a pleasing form of euphony, one that is nicely accompanied by the speaker's use of sibilance in words like "plums" and "icebox":

  I have eaten
  the plums
  that were in
  the icebox

  The pairing of these consonant and sibilant sounds is very euphonic, creating an almost tactile sound that reflects the pleasure the speaker seems to have derived from eating the plums.

  The pacing of this stanza is also important, as the short lines are all enjambed with one another, thereby flowing from one line to the next in a seamless, effortless way. Of course, this could make the poem sound rushed, but the enjambment between the lines actually slows readers down, as is the case in line 3, when readers most likely experience a momentary feeling of suspension as they wait for the speaker to clarify what, exactly, the plums were kept in:

  that were in
  the icebox

  This use of enjambment ultimately creates a relaxed, unbothered sound. This laid back tone aligns with the poem's use of what William Carlos Williams called the "variable foot," which can (in this case) be interpreted as an alternative word for free verse, meaning that there is no metrical consistency from line to line (though Williams would argue that this lack of consistency doesn't mean the lines are totally disordered or random).

  Similarly, there is no overwhelmingly apparent rhyme scheme in this stanza, except for the subtle slant rhyme that appears between "eaten" in the first line and "were in" in the third line—a rhyme that, rather than establishing a pattern, simply adds to the poem's euphonic sound.

• Lines 5-8

  and which ...
  ... for breakfast

  

  

• Lines 9-12

  Forgive me ...
  ... and so cold

  

  

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“This Is Just To Say” Symbols

• 

  The Plums

  It can be argued that the plums in the poem represent any number of things, with a common interpretation being that they symbolize the speaker's inability to resist the allure of pleasure or satisfaction. Under this interpretation, the plums are simply too tempting for the speaker to ignore, even though the speaker knows that someone else is saving them for breakfast.

  In a way this might even be a subtle allusion to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Bible, from which Eve eats the forbidden fruit and ushers sin into the world. The speaker eating the plums is a transgression or sin of sorts, though it's clear that the speaker doesn't feel that bad about it. The poem, then, might even be taken as an extended metaphor about the general joys of indulgence and temptation, and even an argument against depriving oneself of the supposedly sinful luxuries of life.

  Then again, it's also entirely possible that the plums aren't symbolic and are nothing more than, well, plums. This reading aligns with the fact that Williams was interested first and foremost in using straightforward, uncomplicated language and imagery in his poems. This, however, does not mean that it's incorrect to view the plums as symbolic of the speaker's unwillingness to turn away from desire, which is a perfectly valid reading, too.

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-8
  • Lines 10-12

“This Is Just To Say” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Apostrophe

  There is no mention of another person in the first stanza ("I have eaten ... the icebox"), but it becomes clear in the second stanza that the speaker is addressing an unidentified subject. Using apostrophe, the speaker notes that this person was most likely saving the plums that the speaker has just eaten.

  This use of apostrophe is important because it changes the overall context of the poem. At first, the poem seems like a simple meditation on the act of eating plums out of an icebox. But as soon as the speaker says, "which / you were probably / saving / for breakfast," the entire dynamic shifts, as readers realize that these words are addressed to a specific person. For this reason, many readers believe that the poem is supposed to be read as if it were a short note left on a kitchen counter, perhaps from the speaker to the speaker's spouse or lover.

  This interpretation (that the poem is a note) also helps make sense of the title, since the phrase "this is just to say" is quite casual and familiar, as if the speaker has a good relationship with the person who will eventually read these words. At the same time, though, this casual tone ultimately suggests that the speaker doesn't feel any kind of remorse for having eaten this person's plums. In this way, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that even if the poem is technically a note of apology to another person, the speaker is focused more on how satisfying it was to eat the plums than on expressing regret for having stolen them.

  Where apostrophe appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-12

• Enjambment

  

  

  Where enjambment appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non a
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveni
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitation

• Consonance

  

  

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  Where consonance appears in the poem:

  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolor
  • Dolore
  • Dolore
  • Dolore

• Imagery

  

  

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  Where imagery appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolore

• Diacope

  

  

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  Where diacope appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitation
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitation

"This Is Just To Say" 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.

• Icebox

• (Location in poem: )

  A chilled box or cupboard used to keep food cold before the invention of refrigerators.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “This Is Just To Say”

• Form

  The poem consists of 12 lines that are organized into three quatrains (four-line stanzas), but it otherwise doesn't adhere to any kind of formal structure. That said, all the lines are short, and each stanza is the same length, so there is a sense of regularity to the poem despite its overall lack of uniformity. In this regard, the poem's short lines and consistent stanza lengths are the only things that give it a feeling of organization.

  On another note, some readers uphold that "This Is Just To Say" is a found poem, since it can be read as a note from the speaker to the speaker's lover. According to this viewpoint, William Carlos Williams turned an actual real-life note about plums into a poem by adding line breaks and dividing the phrases into three separate stanzas. Regardless of this theory, though, the poem still does not follow a standard poetic form.

• Meter

  "This Is Just To Say" is technically written in free verse. This means that the poem does not have an overarching sense of metrical consistency. Having said that, though, it is the case that all the lines are quite short, ranging from two syllables to five syllables. This use of short lines ultimately creates a feeling of predictability, and it also controls the overall pace and flow of the poem, as the frequent enjambment creates a feeling of division between the lines without actually disrupting its fluid, easy rhythm.

• Rhyme Scheme

  "This Is Just To Say" does not adhere to a set rhyme scheme. To that end, the only rhymes that can be found within the poem are slant rhymes. For instance, the word "eaten" in line 1 ("I have eaten") creates a subtle slant rhyme with the word "in" in line 3 ("that were in").

  In other moments, slant rhymes are placed rather far apart from one another, ultimately making it difficult to identify them. Consider, for example, the fact that the word "probably" in line 6 ("you were probably") is a near rhyme with the words "forgive me" in line 9 ("Forgive me"). If these lines were closer to each other, this slant rhyme might be more noticeable. As it stands, though, the word "probably" appears in the second stanza and the words "Forgive me" appear in the third stanza, meaning that they are a bit too far apart to create a very noticeable rhyme.

  Similarly, the slant rhyme that occurs between the word "breakfast" in line 8 ("for breakfast") and the word "delicious" in line 10 ("they were delicious") isn't all that prominent, since the two words are very separated from one another. At the same time, though, such rhymes still have an overall effect, ultimately creating a sense of pleasant musicality that readers will perhaps feel but not pick up on right away. The final two lines of the poem, meanwhile, are clearly assonant, the shared long /o/ vowels of "so cold" ending the poem on a lyrical note.

“This Is Just To Say” Speaker

• The poem's speaker is an unidentified person who has just eaten plums that were previously stored in an icebox. As the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the speaker wasn't supposed to eat these plums, since somebody else—-t's never clear who, exactly—was saving them for breakfast. Even after acknowledging this transgression, though, the speaker concentrates primarily on how "delicious" the plums were, thereby implying that any sense of guilt about having eaten the other person's food is overshadowed by the pure satisfaction of having eaten the plums in the first place—something it seems the speaker would most likely do again if given the chance.

  Because it's so short and written in such a casual tone, many readers view the poem as a note written by the speaker to a spouse or lover. With this in mind, some people believe that the speaker is William Carlos Williams himself and that the poem is addressed to his wife. While this might very well be true, there isn't quite enough evidence in the poem to confirm this theory, though it does seem rather safe to assume that the person to whom the poem is addressed is the speaker's spouse or lover.

“This Is Just To Say” Setting

• "This Is Just To Say" takes place in a domestic setting. Beyond this, it's difficult to say what kind of environment serves as a backdrop for the poem. Indeed, the only thing that is clear is that the speaker seems to be in a kitchen, considering that the plums the speaker has just eaten were previously stored in an icebox, which would normally be kept in a kitchen. On that note, the fact that the plums were inside an icebox instead of a refrigerator suggests that the poem is most likely set sometime before the 1930s, since refrigerators weren't common household appliances until that time period.

Literary and Historical Context of “This Is Just To Say”

• Literary Context

  "This Is Just To Say" was published in 1934, long after the Imagist movement ended (around 1917). However, William Carlos Williams was an important member of the Imagist movement, and this poem beautifully exemplifies many of the core tenets of that particular poetic approach. In particular, "This Is Just To Say" is a very simple poem about the ordinary act of eating plums sneakily taken from an icebox, and it is this attempt to find beauty in such simplicity that ultimately aligns so perfectly with the Imagist movement, which was centered around the use of clear language and vivid, taught imagery.

  Because of Williams's association with Imagism and the poem's Imagist qualities, it's worth considering "This Is Just To Say" alongside "In a Station of the Metro," a two-line poem by Ezra Pound, whom many consider to be the founder of Imagism and the "father of Modernism." It's also worth comparing "This Is Just To Say" with some of William Carlos Williams's other famous poems, such as "The Red Wheelbarrow," which is perhaps an even simpler meditation on a single image.

  It would also make sense to think about the poem alongside Williams's epic poem, "Paterson," which features one of the poet's most famous lines: "Say it, no ideas but in things." This sentiment perfectly reflects Williams's commitment to exploring the beauty of everyday life instead of getting bogged down by heady intellectual concepts—an approach that is on full display in "This Is Just To Say."

  Historical Context

  The poem was published in 1934, meaning that it appeared in print during the Great Depression, when the United States (and many countries all over the world) experienced a marked downturn in the economy. However, it is unclear whether it was actually written during this period, and though it is in some ways a poem about food scarcity (something that was very common during the Great Depression), the fact of the matter is that the poem is divorced from any kind of historical setting.

  To that end, it takes place in a domestic context that could exist in seemingly any time period—except, of course, for the fact that the speaker uses an icebox instead of the more modern refrigerator. Some take the poem as having been an actual note from Williams to his wife, making it an example of something called found poetry.

  Whether this story is true is up for debate, but either way the poem certainly makes a very mundane act feel distinctly poetic. To that end, Williams himself was actually a successful doctor, a working man who wrote mostly at night. Such context makes "This Is Just To Say" all the more interesting, a fleeting contemplation of domesticity that is at once exceedingly simple and profound.

More “This Is Just To Say” Resources

• External Resources

  • Williams Reads the Poem — Listen to this recording of William Carlos Williams reading "This Is Just To Say" to a live audience.

  • Adam Driver Recites The Poem — Watch the actor Adam Driver talk about William Carlos Williams and read "This Is Just To Say" in a scene from the 2016 film "Paterson."

  • The Poet's Life — Learn more about William Carlos Williams in this overview of his life and work.

  • Imagism — For more information about the Imagist movement, take a look at this short guide.

  • The Paris Review Interview — Check out The Paris Review's interview with William Carlos Williams, who was the sixth poet they interviewed in their long-running "Art of Poetry" interview series.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Carlos Williams

  • Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

  • Raleigh Was Right

  • Spring and All (By the road to the contagious hospital)

  • The Red Wheelbarrow

  • The Widow's Lament in Springtime