Robert Herrick talks directly to a willow tree, calling it the one true emblem for lost love. When young men and women are abandoned in romance, they turn to willow garlands, worn around the head and damp with tears. The speaker imagines that once the lover's rose—that brief, bright passion—has wilted or been tossed aside, the willow's drooping branches become the natural crown of mourning. Under its cooling shade, the lovesick and exhausted come to weep through the long night. There's no anger or bitterness here, only a gentle, accepting grief. The mood is soft and elegiac, as if the tree itself shares in the sorrow. It's a quiet poem about finding a patient, sorrowful companion in the natural world when human love has faded.
TO THE WILLOW-TREE — Summary
Thou art to all lost love the best, The only true plant found, Wherewith young men and maids distrest And left of love, are crown'd.
When once the lover's rose is dead Or laid aside forlorn, Then willow-garlands, 'bout the head, Bedew'd with tears, are worn.
When with neglect, the lover's bane, Poor maids rewarded be, For their love lost their only gain Is but a wreath from thee.
And underneath thy cooling shade, When weary of the light, The love-spent youth, and love-sick maid, Come to weep out the night.