The speaker looks at fields still holding the heat and scent of summer, where dry hedges and hills give off almost more sweetness than the senses can bear. That overflowing richness becomes a way of understanding an old couple: in their youth they loved fully, strongly, and truthfully, and now in heavy age they are beautiful in a quieter way. The poem connects two kinds of lingering fullness—one in nature, one in human love. The mood is warm, calm, and slightly wistful. Summer is not quite over, and old age has not erased passion; it has softened it into something lasting and lovely. The comparison suggests that what was once intensely felt can remain present, like sweetness still breathing from dry ground.
The Fields Are Full — Summary
The fields are full of summer still And breathe again upon the air From brown dry side of hedge and hill More sweetness than the sense can bear. So some old couple, who in youth With love were filled and over-full, And loved with strength and loved with truth, In heavy age are beautiful.