a contemplation upon flowers

A contemplation upon flowers
Tone
The speaking voice /persona is philosophical as he follows what is initially an individual problem to a universally applicable conclusion. It moves from admiration and confusion at his his own recalcitrance ( hard to manage and understand) to one of acceptance and peace.
Mood
The mood of the poem is deeply reflective one as the poet contemplates his own mortality.
Major themes
Death and life- our lives are but a cycle that culminate ineditably in depth. If we live our lives purposely and meaningfully we would have no reason to fear death. Death then must not be seen as a frightening event (line thirteen) but the natural culmination of a life well lived
Pride and humility- the speaker suggests that to be proud is deny ones mortality and live as though one were immortal. He claims that the flowers are not “vain” and “are not proud” because they “know( their birth)” and their beauty has come from the lowliest of sources the earth ( line 6).humility lies in accepting ones mortality and living appropriately.
Learning Lessons from Nature- the speaker is initially anxious about the thought of dying. Upon observing the flowers and how they conform to the rules of Nature, he makes several parallels to his own situation. He learns that life is flitting and death but a peaceful sleep, a return to our “beds of earth “to join the flowers there. The speaker actually entreats the flowers to be his teacher (line 13, 17)
Moral obligations- the speaker concludes that it is our duty to look out for the needs of others and make a positive contribution to the world as stated in the lines “teach me that my breath/ Like your may smitten and perfume my death” ( line 17 and 18) where breath refers to life and the sensory image to “sweeten and perfume” refers to living a good life.

The poem itself is in the form of an apostrophe( an address to an absent or inanimate object) as such it makes significant use of personification, for example “ gray flowers”, “ your embroidered garments”, “look as cheerfully” or “teach me” in his address to the flowers, the persona imbues them with life and human qualities or courage , gallantry, humility and compassion.
The metaphor of the cycle of life is significant to the personas understanding of the transitory nature of life, as well as the role in the greater scheme of things. He understands, by reflecting on the life cycle of the flowers and the seasons of nature,spring- winter that all living things follow a seasonal pattern spring or youth is but one fleeting season; ultimately winter or death will come and he must accept this fact. Acceptance includes recognizes his responsibilities to the living.
Alliteration is used in the second stanza where the sound of “ know no winter never” repeats a negative sound (no, no never). This is effective in expressing the attitude of the persona in denial about death.

The use of imagery