URGENT ENGLISH wild peaches

Question

What do the words "briefer," "too beautiful to stay," and "sleep of death" in the last stanza of Wylie's poem suggest about nature's bounty and a life of plenty and ease? Do these ideas support or overturn the conventions of pastoral poetry? Explain

Answer 1

Pastoral poetry deals with nature and the supposed peace, simplicity, and timelessness of country life. Wylie’s poem seems to deal with loss and the fleeting nature of time. Does this match with traditional pastoral poetry? Why or why not? 

Answer 2

I love those skies, thin blue or snowy gray,

Those fields sparse-planted, rendering meagre sheaves;

That spring, briefer than apple-blossom’s breath,

Summer, so much too beautiful to stay,

Swift autumn, like a bonfire of leaves,

And sleepy winter, like the sleep of death. —Elinor Wylie

I can't give you a full answer, but I think you should address the issue that pastoral poetry looks at nature idyllically and that speaking of "briefer than apple-blossom's breath," "to beautiful to stay," and "sleep of death" put the emphasis on how temporary beauty is and, thus, could be overturning the conventions of pastoral poetry by being unflinchingly realistic.