Pine Trees

The pine trees are the first living things referred to in the poem aside from the “mind of winter” (1). Their boughs are depicted as “crusted with snow” (3), creating the impression that they are entombed in a frozen state. In this way the trees become signals of a universal stasis and bleakness.

Spruces

Spruces populate the landscape described in the poem. They are first mentioned in the second stanza as “rough in the distant glitter // Of the January sun” (6-7). As compared with the pine trees mentioned before them, the spruces are described in more enlivened fashion. Their distant ruddiness is captured by the winter sun.

The Listener

In fifth and final stanza of the poem “the listener, who listens in the snow” (13) is referred to as a figure who occupies the bare spot where the wind is blowing. The act of listening is presented to this figure...