An Analysis of Thomas Hardy's Neutral Tones"We stood by a pond that winter's day," (1) This line indicates a still stillness, with a lack of movement of life. There is a big difference in the appearance and movement around a pond in the winter and a pond in the height of summer. This indicates no leaves and no visible signs of life. The poet is painting a stark and lifeless scene."And the sun was white, as if it were the son of God,"(2) This is indicative of the modernist approach to light as too harsh and not a positive factor. Chidden means scolded, scolded, or even blamed. God does not look kindly on these people. fell from an ash tree and were gray,"(4) Ash trees are very beautiful hardwood trees, and this line indicates the passing of beauty and connects with the dying leaves mentioned in the third line. This first stanza indicates that something once beautiful is dying. "Your eyes on me were like wandering eyes" (5) When lovers in love look at each other, they usually do it with a fixed gaze. That old love song, "I have eyes only for you." , helps explain the poet's anguish when he realizes that his lover is no longer hypnotized while in his company this poem."And some words played between us to and fro" (7) seems to indicate senseless chatter and chatter. "On which we have lost our love the most" (8) tells the reader that the poet is not satisfied with the chatter and would rather talk about the unresolved problems between... middle of the paper... a defined and recognizable pattern. This poem is certainly not a sonnet, neither in subject matter, nor in meaning, nor in format. The rhyme scheme for this poem is that of ABBA, CDDC, EFFE, GHH G. There is enough continuity in this rhyme scheme to hold the poem together as a whole through the use of the scheme, however the change in the actual words in rhyme and the fact that, for example, the word A is repeated only once (like all the others) intensifies the poet's feelings of loss over the change in his love's desires. Through the rhyme scheme, the poet conveys the desperation of the two of them coming back together and repeating the beautiful love they once shared. Works Cited Damrosch, David, et al., ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B. Compact ed. New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000. p. 2256