When the poem begins, readers can picture the speaker in a room watching as snow falls outside a bay window (which is just the same for a certain kind of window that projects outward from a wall in an arc). There are some "pink roses" against the window too, presumably inside the speaker's room. (Or, perhaps, this is a freak spring snowstorm, and both snow and roses are outside and separated from the speaker by this window—the poem's language is ambiguous!)
The speaker, it seems, was already in this room before the poem began, but "suddenly" sees it all with fresh eyes. It's unclear if the falling snow itself is what prompts this sudden shift in perspective or if it comes out of nowhere.
Either way, it's like the world announces itself anew at this moment, causing the speaker to marvel at its "variousness," expressed through the juxtaposition of the snow and roses. There's something about the contrasts within this image—the chilly whiteness of the snow and the fresh vibrancy of the "pink roses"—that makes the room feel more vibrant and interesting.
Note how the sounds of the poem emphasize the speaker's sudden wonder:
- For example, listen to the alliteration between "room" and "rich" and the assonance of "great bay-window." Such devices elevate the speaker's language and hint to the reader that something major is happening.
- The soft sibilance of "Spawning snow" then evokes the gentle, whispery whoosh of now coming down.
- The enjambment between lines 1 and 2, meanwhile, suggests the suddenness of the speaker's revelation. There's no pause between "was" and "Spawning," a choice that makes the poem's opening seem breathless and exciting.
"Spawning" is also an intriguing word choice. It perhaps suggests a visual similarity between the snow's patterns against the window and the appearance of eggs laid by frogs, fish, and so on. It's a weird word—which is kind of the poem's point: the world is a strange place! The word also subtly connects the inanimate snow to the living roses, perhaps reminding readers that, however different these items seem, they're both children of (spawned by!) the natural world.