This is a free verse and the poem is end with rhyme. It was written for a young child called Margaret. The poem is talking about the change in heart and feeling in the different ages. Line 1~4 shows that when Margaret is young, she is pure and innocent. She is “grieving” about the leaves; and the “fresh thoughts” shows her kind heart and the caring towards the others. Line 5~7 shows that when the time goes by, Margaret changes her feeling towards the leaves. The words “colder” and “older” reveals that Margaret is growing up and starting to be feelingless. (Hopkins, 1880) Line 12 shows that when the girl Margaret gets old, she does not feel about things anymore. However, the line 11 shows that the leaves and spring do not change. They bud, they grow, they fall and they die. It is a life cycle that nothing can escape from that.

     There are several literal devices in the poem. For example, “ héart héard” and “ ghóst guéssed” are two alliteration in line 13 (Hopkins, 1880). And also, leaves ares compared with “the things of man” in line 3 (Hopkins, 1880) by similie. The "man" in the line 3 are referring to all the human living in the world. By using similie, line 3 is telling that human are just like leaves in the world. People cannot escape from the life cycle.

      However, to dig deeper, the last two lines are the most valuable lines in the poem. “It is the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for” illustrates that people are born fresh and then they change like leaves(Hopkins, 1880). Although people are innocent and pure when they are young; when they grow up, their hearts get colder, and they stop caring. Moreover, the words “born for” shows that people are born to change, they are born to experience the life from caring to feelingless, from fresh to old (Hopkins, 1880). And at the end, they will do what Margaret does. They would mourn for the innocent past and embrace the feelingless. It is pathetic but it is the reality.