Tone in The Garden

Notice that in the second part of this poem the speaker is addressing the wind instead of the rose. However, unlike her address to the rose which started with a “you,” this address begins with “O,” an exclamation used to express lament or surprise. The change in address in this second stanza creates a desperate longing or pleading tone for the rest of the poem.

The modal verb “can” indicates an ability to perform an action. When it is in a past form, could, this states that the ability to perform the action is remote, or impossible. Notice here that the speaker repeats “can not,” which connects to the earlier repetition of “could.” While in the previous stanza the speaker states that were it not for the heat, she could perform those actions, here the heat is so intense that the fruit actually cannot perform even the simple act of falling. In either case, the tone conveyed is one of listlessness, in which the heat has paralyzed everyone and everything in the garden.