Set in the height of summer, the poem begins with a calm, almost perfect scene: mist rising from the rye fields, and the earth and sky both seeming complete. The speaker walks through this landscape listening closely. Grasshoppers, swallows, clover and strawberries all seem to repeat the same "tale," and the speaker slowly realizes what it is. Summer is already turning toward autumn.
The mood shifts from quiet contentment to a gentle, reflective sadness. The speaker says that summer only "confessed" what the heart already knew. The day is fading, evening is closing in, and every step leads toward the coming season. The final stanza makes the point personal. Rye picked before it has ripened is useless, and in the same way, "our deeds will not keep / for another year." The poem seems to urge us to act while there is still time, since the season, like a life, doesn't wait. The tone stays soft and thoughtful rather than alarmed, and the short, chiming lines give it a quiet, song-like feel.