The speaker is talking to a young person who seems to belong to the orchard in early spring: crowned with daffodils, barefoot, moving lightly among fruit trees. Everything about this figure feels sudden and bright, compared to a flame flaring up in darkness. The speaker is startled, almost dazzled, watching someone so full of life and movement that they seem less like a person and more like an almond blossom breaking loose and flickering through the branches.
The mood is joyful, a little breathless, and full of spring energy. There is admiration and even wonder in the speaker’s voice, as if they have caught a fleeting glimpse of youth and beauty at its most vivid. The poem feels quick and luminous, like the runner it describes, leaving an impression of something bright, natural, and alive.