Poetry Analysis

Love is a universal theme that ties together the different cultures of the world and the

centuries of living humans. Two poems, Wind and Window Flower by Robert Frost and With

How Sad Steps, O Moon, Thou Climb'st the Skies by Sir Philip Sidney, written almost 350

years apart, have the same central theme of how difficult and painful unrequited love can be.

Although the two poems were written in completely separate time periods, both poets use

elaborate personifications and metaphors, carefully selected form, and vivid diction to establish

mood to express that love is not always as beautiful as it is often romanticized, but can be a

rather miserable experience especially when the love of a man is not reciprocated by the woman.

In both poems, apparent personification is used to indirectly but clearly express how love

in the human world does not always produce a happy relationship. In Frosts poem, the wind and

flower are given human actions and feelings. The wind continuously tries to get the attention of

the flower as he passed her and gave the window a shake, but the flower remains oblivious

to the winds actions and has naught to say until the wind is gone. In addition to the

personification, Frost uses an extended metaphor comparing the winter wind to a man and the

flower to a woman to show the difficulties of love from a new, powerful perspective. Frost uses

this metaphor and personification to abstractly convey that love is often realized too late and

women can be oblivious to profound love from men. Similarly, in Sidney's poem With How Sad

Steps, O Moon, Thou Climb'st the Skies, a natural element, the moon, is personified. In the first

line, the speaker addresses the moon in an apostrophe, O Moon, and describes it as languidly

climbing the sky with a wan face. In this context, wan not only means the lightness in color of

the moon but also the paleness and illness the moon feels from lovesickness which establishes a

morose mood. The wan description of the moon also infers that because the moon has such a
light complexion, the speaker sees a reflection of himself and his sadness in the moon. The

actions of the moon represent the depression the speaker feels and the pain he has endured from

love that has not been given back. In addition, like Frost, Sidney uses a metaphor in line 4.

Sidney alludes to Cupid in Greek Mythology and compares the pain of love to the pain of being

shot with an arrow. This further develops Sidneys idea that unreciprocated love hurts badly.

While Frosts poem utilizes an extended metaphor with the personification of the wind and

flower and Sidneys poem personifies the moon to reflect the speakers feelings, both poems

express the idea that the feelings of unrequited love are difficult to overcome.

Form is a crucial aspect of every poem that allows the poet to express his thoughts in a

lyrical manner. In Wind and Window Flower, the second and fourth line of each stanza rhyme.

This creates a rhythm like that of the wind pursuing his love for the flower. It shows that even

though love may be powerful, determined, and steady, it may not always turn out to be as sought

in the end. Likewise, Sidneys poem, With How Sad Steps, O Moon, Thou Climbst the Skies

also contains a rhyming pattern. This poem is a sonnet and therefore has the rhyme scheme of

ABBA ABBA CDCDEE and is written in iambic pentameter which shows the fluidity and

romanticism of love. However, in lines 10 and 12, Sidney uses a slant rhyme with wit and

yet. This interruption in the fluidity of the poem represents the intrusion of the pain of love in

the speakers life. This slant rhyme towards the end of the poem allows Sidney to conclude his

poem with the idea that love is not always a smooth relationship but rather one that can be

hurtful. The two poems both use form in different ways to express the same theme that love

causes pain and is often not given back from the beloved.

Both poets use strong diction to develop a similar melancholy tone. This reinforcement of

tone further allows the poets to express the central theme that love is a force that causes misery.
Frost uses words such as dead weeds, unmated birds, and little of love to develop the

poems downhearted tone. These choices of words further enforce that love is not always happy

and easy as it is often thought to be but rather a sad event that sometimes does not works out.

Similarly, in With How Sad Steps, O Moon, Thou Climb'st the Skies, Sidney uses careful

diction such as wan a face and languish'd grace to describe the moon. These descriptions

allow the reader to see and feel the sadness of the moon which is a reflection of the feelings of

the speaker. In addition, Sidney further develops the depressed mood by using words such as

decries and scorn. Like Frost, Sidney uses particular words to make the reader feel the

sadness of the speaker and to enforce the point that love creates deep pain when love is not

returned.

Love is oftentimes overly romanticized. Two poems, Wind and Window Flower by

Robert Frost and With How Sad Steps, O Moon, Thou Climb'st the Skies by Sir Philip

Sidney, written centuries apart both express that love often does not result in a happy ending

because it is frequently unreciprocated, leaving a lover hurt. With the use of expansive

personification and metaphors, deliberately chosen form, and intentional diction to develop tone,

the two poets show that unrequited love is painful.