Key Facts

• Author: Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
• Title of the Author: English poet and Jesuit priest
• Full Title: Spring and Fall: to a Young Child
• Total Lines: 15 lines
• Stanza: 1 stanza
• Genre: Poetry
• Published Date: 1918 (posthumously)
• Written Date: 1880
• Form: Rhymed stanza (loosely based on rhyme royal)
• Meter: Sprung rhythm
• Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDDEEFFGG
• Tone: Sad, reflective, and compassionate
• Point of View: Second-person (addressing the child)
• Setting: Autumn season, nature’s changing leaves
• Time Setting: Fall (autumn)
• Place Setting: Countryside or natural landscape

• Form and Structure of the Poem: This poem is a short meditative piece consisting of 15 lines. It is written as a single stanza. The poem follows a rhythmic pattern and uses Hopkins’ unique Sprung Rhythm. In the poem, the poet addresses a little girl named Margaret, who is crying after seeing the leaves fall from the trees. The poem begins with the child’s innocent emotion but ends by expressing a deep truth of life — the reality of death and spiritual realization.

During the Victorian era, religious faith was being challenged by scientific reasoning and new ideas. However, in this poem, Hopkins has shown a connection between nature and spiritual thought. He shows how a small feeling or experience can lead one to realize the deeper truths of life. The poem expresses not only philosophical thought but also a tender spiritual awareness. It is an example of Hopkins’s theories of “inscape” and “instress”, where the inner truth and divine presence are sought in every object and emotion.