What Biblical Reference is Made in the Poem “Spring and Fall?”

Answer

 What Biblical reference is made in the poem “Spring and Fall?”

Gerard Manley Hopkins’ (1844 – 1889) poem “Spring and Fall” (1918) touches on deep themes of mortality, loss, and the innocence of childhood. One significant element in the poem is its Biblical reference. They add a layer of meaning to Margaret’s sorrow and the speaker’s reflections. 

The Biblical story of Adam and Eve: Hopkins implies the Biblical story of Adam and Eve’s displacement from the Garden of Eden. This story is found in the book of Genesis.  This story is often referred to as “The Fall”. Adam and Eve were cast out of paradise after eating the forbidden fruit. It signifies humanity’s loss of innocence and the beginning of mortality. Just like Adam and Eve, Margaret will grow up and lose her childlike wonder and purity. Hopkins says,

It is the blight man was born for,

It is Margaret you mourn for.

The Garden of Eden and Goldengrove: Goldengrove is the setting of the poem. It is seen as a metaphor for the Garden of Eden. This garden was a place of eternal beauty and life until the Fall. The leaves falling in Goldengrove symbolize the impermanence and decay that entered the world after the Fall. So Hopkins asks,

Márgarét, áre you gríeving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Margaret’s grief reflects the sadness of losing paradise and the perfect. 

Eternal Life and Redemption: The poem primarily focuses on the sorrow of loss and the awareness of mortality. Later on, it hints at the possibility of redemption and eternal life. The use of “Goldengrove” can be seen as a symbol of paradise and the hope for eternal life beyond earthly suffering. The poet says,

Sorrow’s springs are the same

This line suggests that all sorrows point towards a greater and unchanging truth. In the Christian context, this truth is the promise of redemption and eternal life in the midst of grief.

In “Spring and Fall,” Hopkins beautifully interweaves these Biblical references. He uses the story of Adam and Eve to deepen the poem’s exploration of loss, innocence, and the human condition.Through Margaret’s simple grief, the poem touches on the universal and timeless themes of life and death.