Poetry · Chapter
The New Year explained
The speaker encounters an old man raking leaves in the woods on a stormy New Year's morning.
What happens
The speaker encounters an old man raking leaves in the woods on a stormy New Year's morning. The man's bent posture is initially mistaken for a tripod, but he straightens to exchange a gruff New Year's greeting before returning to his work.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs when the speaker, despite physical pain from the storm, experiences a transcendent m…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Solitude and Reflection
The solitary encounter in the stormy woods highlights a moment of quiet reflection and human connection amidst nature.
- The Cycle of Life and Death
The old man raking fallen leaves on New Year's Day evokes the cyclical nature of life, death, and renewal.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“He was the one man I met up in the woods / That stormy New Year’s morning”
The only person the speaker encountered in the woods on that stormy New Year's morning was this old man.
Sets the scene of a solitary, weather-bound meeting.
“Happy New Year, and may it come fastish, too”
The old man mutters a wish for the New Year to arrive quickly.
Reveals the old man's wry, perhaps weary, attitude toward the passing of time.
