Today

The first stanza of the poem begins with the phrase “If ever there were” (Line 1), which sets up the superlative aspects of the descriptions that follow. We know from this phrase that if there were in fact a perfect spring day, then the one the speaker is describing would most certainly be it. The speaker then moves directly into the descriptions telling the reader exactly what sort of characteristics this perfect spring day has. Line 2 begins the description with the gentle wind that comes in to “warm” the air. The warmth is a welcome shift from the chilled winds of winter, and the contrast of the warmth in comparison to the cold the speaker has gotten used to all winter inspires a flurry of exertion in “throw[ing] / open all the windows in the house” (Lines 3-4).

The house has been buttoned up against those chilly winds for the whole winter, but with this perfect day, the speaker wants to open all the windows back up again so that warm breezes can be ushered into the house. The phrase “throw / open all the windows” (Lines 3-4) has an aggressive nuance, as if the speaker has been released from the slow malaise of winter and the enthusiasm for the seasonal change is a bit overwhelming.

This aggressive excitement builds even further in the next stanza when the speaker decides not only to release the canary from its cage but to also make sure it is never stuck inside again by ripping “the little door from its jamb” (Line 6). The beauty of this spring day, especially in contrast to the dreary winter where they are stuck inside like a caged bird waiting for the snow to thaw, has the speaker feeling like they never want to see the winter again. Though we see this aggressive enthusiasm bubble up to the surface again in a few lines, the speaker settles back down first and soothes our alarm with more descriptions of just how lovely the day is.

The speaker’s enthusiasm is back under control in Stanza 4, where they ruminate over the state of the garden. The weather has not gotten so warm that the bricks in the path are too hot to step on without shoes, but it is far enough along in the season for the peonies to be blooming in abundance. The peonies, which need the chill of the winter to blossom well in the spring, represent the blossoming of the speaker as they too burst forth into life after the gray winter. The sun is shining so all the details are emphasized, but it isn’t so bright that the edges are lost in the glare. What lurks under the bucolic image of the peonies is the notorious brevity of spring blossoms. This spring weather will only be around about as long as the lovely peony blossoms it nurtures. Whatever the case, the speaker is not thinking about the future or the past—only this day, this very perfect spring day, matters. The speaker is convincing and the reader is pulled into this dreamy image of a garden “etched in sunlight” (Line 9), completely unsuspecting that the speaker is about to lash out again with all the intensity of their joy for the view.

Stanza 6 is a bit jarring with the sudden appearance of a hammer in comparison to the soft blossoms of the peonies the speaker was just discussing. The aggressive enthusiasm that was seen in throwing the windows open and tearing the door off the bird cage comes to a head as the speaker describes how they are inspired to smash open the snow globe paperweight to let the tiny people inside experience the gorgeous day as well. The speaker has been released fully from the winter doldrums, and they feel so great they sink further into the fantasy. They want the tiny people who are trapped in a perpetual winter to be free to experience it too because the speaker fully understands what it feels like to experience that kind of long-suffering cold and perpetual snow. The people could come out together “holding hands and squinting” (Line 16) against the sudden brightness of the spring to the wider world that is no longer covered in snow or obscured by steel grey clouds. The fact that the speaker acknowledges the people would be coming out into “this larger dome” (Line 17) suggests that a perpetual stunning spring day would also be an artifice and that this just isn’t how the world actually works.

The final line reminds us that the speaker has been working in hypotheticals all along. This day is definitely the kind of day that would inspire throwing open the windows, freeing the canary, and smashing snow globes, but that doesn’t mean the speaker actually decides to do any of it. The speaker can recognize the perfection of the perfect spring day, but what they do with that spring day is beyond the scope of the poem.