The speaker imagines himself as April personified—gusty, merry, full of wind and showers—so he could tease a woman called Rose. He pictures blowing at her until her ribbons come undone and her hair falls loose, and pelting her cheeks with rain until they flush into warm red flowers. It sounds rough, but the tone is affectionate and mischievous rather than cruel: he wants Rose’s attention and enjoys the idea of matching her energy. The final stanza explains why. Rose already laughs in April’s face, unbothered by its rain and wind, so the speaker wishes he could be that wild April and share in her play. The mood is light, springlike, and flirtatious, full of movement and colour, as if love itself is a kind of playful weather.
Laughing Rose — Summary
If I were gusty April now, How I would blow at laughing Rose; I'd make her ribbons slip their knots, And all her hair come loose. If I were merry April now, How I would pelt her cheeks with showers; I'd make carnations, rich and warm, Of her vermilion flowers. Since she will laugh in April's face, No matter how he rains or blows-- Then O that I wild April were, To play with laughing Rose.