Mike Patterson

Mr. White

English10

December 12, 1998

Journal 2

Western Wind, When Will Thou Blow

Westron wind, when with thou blow

The small rain down can rain?

Christ, that my love were in my arms,

And I in my bed again.

- Anonymous

The poem Western Winds, When Will Thou Blow is about the longing for love and companionship. It might be told from a traveler or from a sailor's song because of its reference to the Western winds, which bring the spring rains. The speaker of the poem talks about wanting to go home, back to their love. This would make the speaker of the poem a man talking about longing for his love. He seems really sad and depressed. This can be proven by the references that he makes to the rain because rain is usually considered to be dreary and depressing. The poem really speaks directly to the heart and soul about the author's sadness.

The author wishes for the western winds to bring the spring rains. The spring rains bring the earth back to life after long harsh winters. These rains are a lot milder and less intimidating than the rough rains of winter. The poet wishes that his heart would heal from the pain of not being with the person that he loves. It is obvious that he wishes for his heartache to go away in line 3 when he says "Christ, that my love were in my arms," (line 3). This obviously means that he wishes his love were with him to ease his pains. It seems like the author is wishing that he were at home, in his own bed, with his lovers arms wrapped around him protecting him from the harsh winter weather.

The author of the poem wants the hardships to end and his desires to be fulfilled. He wants to be back home, in his own bed, away from the struggles of the torrents of winter. The author of the poem is depressed and feels a strong sense of loss as a result of being apart from his love. He wants his heart to be fulfilled to ease the hardships of separation from the one whom he loves. He wants to go home and see her again, to get out of the dreary weather, and to extinguish the pain in his heart. The poet's passionate words were filled with emotion in showing his longing for love and the fulfillment of his heart.