In a world where the constant hum of modern life often drowns out the simple beauty around us, the poetry of Elizabeth Stansfield Hunter stands as a serene reminder of the power and peace that nature offers. Her work intricately intertwines the themes of family, love, and loss, while also exploring the deep connection between humans and the natural world. Through her vivid imagery of gardens, flowers, and the changing seasons, Hunter’s poems not only evoke the rhythms of life but also reflect her emotions and memories.

In her book Echoes of an Old World: The Poems of Elizabeth Stansfield Hunter, Hunter’s verse transports readers to a world where nature and human experience are inextricably intertwined. In this post, we will take a journey through her poems, uncovering how nature serves as both a reflection of her inner life and a timeless symbol of life’s cyclical nature.

Nature as a Mirror of the Soul

For Elizabeth Stansfield Hunter, nature was more than just a backdrop for her life—it was a mirror, reflecting her deepest emotions, her personal history, and her connections to those she loved. Her poems often turn to gardens and flowers as metaphors for the joys, pains, and growth she experienced throughout her life.

In Echoes of an Old World, the poem “Sweet Asphodel,” dedicated to her father, Hunter writes about the delicate beauty of the asphodel flower. The flower becomes a symbol of cherished memories and emotional connection. “The beauty of that floweret / As it lingers in my soul / Brings a fragrance like the violet,” she writes, conjuring an image of love and nostalgia intertwined with nature’s gift. The flower is not just a thing of beauty—it carries the essence of her emotions, forever linked to her father’s memory.

Likewise, in “Spring in My Garden,” the rejuvenation of the garden in springtime becomes a metaphor for the renewal of the soul. As the birds sing and the trees sway gently, Hunter’s heart is “brimful of love.” The cycle of growth and rebirth within her garden mirrors the cycle of emotional healing and the power of nature to restore peace and balance. Through the lens of nature, Hunter finds a profound sense of connection to the world and her loved ones, long after they have passed.

Gardens as Personal Sanctuaries

Hunter’s poems often evoke the sense of a garden as a personal sanctuary—an intimate space where the speaker can find solace, process grief, or celebrate love. Gardens in Hunter’s work represent not just literal spaces but also emotional ones. They are places of quiet reflection, filled with both light and shadow.

In “My Tussey-Mussey,” Hunter beautifully describes a collection of herbs that symbolize virtues she seeks in her life, such as patience, grace, and strength. “There’s Camomile to pinch and smell, / More patience to awake,” she writes. The act of tending to these plants becomes a meditative process, one that mirrors the speaker’s desire for emotional calm and spiritual nourishment. The garden is not only a place to admire beauty, but also a space to cultivate inner peace.

Even in her reflections on loss, gardens offer comfort. In “You Are The Aroma of Christ,” Hunter memorializes her son, David, with a powerful and symbolic reference to fragrance, a theme she often explores about flowers. The smell of flowers and the aroma of Christ interweave in the poem to suggest a transcendence, where love and memory linger in the air like the scent of a blooming garden.

The Changing Seasons as Metaphors for Life’s Rhythms

One of the most striking features of Hunter’s poetry is her ability to capture the passing of time through the lens of nature’s seasons. The cyclical nature of the seasons serves as a poignant metaphor for the rhythms of life, where moments of joy, sorrow, growth, and decay are all interconnected.

In Echoes of an Old World, “October” contrasts the fiery hues of fall with the peace that autumn brings. “Bronzed amber-tinted world / Burning ‘neath sapphire sky,” she writes, evoking the sense of change and the beauty that comes with it. October, as both a literal month and a symbolic season, marks the end of a cycle—the harvest before winter’s cold. This seasonal shift is a powerful reminder that both nature and life are in constant motion, moving through phases of renewal, growth, and inevitable change.

Hunter’s work is full of such seasonal metaphors. Her descriptions of springtime—where flowers bloom and new life emerges—are not just a celebration of nature’s beauty but also a reflection of hope and rebirth. In “Primroses,” she writes, “In my garden primroses are sleeping / Dainty flowers that bring me joy untold,” suggesting that even in periods of dormancy, there is potential for renewal. It’s a message of resilience: just as the primroses sleep beneath the soil, so too can our hearts heal and grow, even after times of sorrow.

The Role of Gardens in Connecting Generations

In addition to serving as a space for personal reflection, nature in Hunter’s poems also plays a significant role in connecting generations. Her poems are filled with references to family, and the garden serves as a metaphorical bridge between past, present, and future.

In “Odes to Janet Growing Up,” she writes about her daughter’s journey through life, using nature imagery to express the passage from childhood to adulthood. “Radiant sunbeams haloed round her head,” she says, describing her daughter’s youth with the same vibrant imagery she uses to depict the seasons. Through these metaphors, Hunter celebrates the continuity of life—the way that each generation is rooted in the one before it, much like the trees that pass their seeds onto the earth for future growth.

Similarly, in “To David on His First Christmas,” Hunter speaks to her grandson, passing down the traditions of love and remembrance through the generations. The Christmas tree, the mistletoe, and the garden imagery are all symbols of familial love and continuity. The garden, in this sense, is not just a personal space but a shared one, linking generations through common experiences and shared memories.

Nature’s Role in Healing and Hope

Above all, the nature imagery in Hunter’s poems conveys a deep sense of healing and hope. Whether she’s writing about the loss of a loved one or celebrating the birth of a grandchild, Hunter finds comfort in the beauty of the world around her. The cyclical rhythms of nature serve as a reminder that, despite the hardships of life, there is always room for new beginnings.

As she writes in “A Christmas Thought,” Hunter calls on the power of Christmas to bring joy and peace: “May the song the angels sang / Echo in our hearts!” The garden of memories, like the song of angels, serves as a constant source of renewal, offering both solace and strength in times of need.

Conclusion

Elizabeth Stansfield Hunter’s Echoes of an Old World is a testament to the enduring beauty of nature and its ability to reflect the most intimate emotions. Through her use of gardens, flowers, and the changing seasons, she captures the cycles of life, from birth to death, joy to sorrow, and everything in between. Nature, for Hunter, is more than just a backdrop—it is a powerful symbol of life’s rhythms, a source of solace, and a bridge that connects generations. In the garden of memories that she so eloquently evokes, we find not only beauty and peace but also a deep, timeless understanding of the human experience.