Hardy was an old man of 72 when he wrote this poem recalling the early days of his first marriage, which was a happy time for him and his wife, Emma. Her death provided him with material of the deepest personal significance and the "Poems of 1912-13", from which this work came, are his most personal utterance and most typical poems - often touching, as they do, on the inexorability of time and the meaning and …showed first 75 words of 1110 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1110 total…wistlessness) and assonance (say, changed, day) are used often to increase the mellifluous effect, or sweet smooth flowing sound, of the first few stanzas. Nature imagery, relating to the seasons, is used in the last two stanzas, to create a "sympathetic" background which reinforces the mood of the situations being described, such as in the last stanza. Overall, the style of the poem strengthens the description of the occasion and makes it even more memorable.