The Annotated Edition
Contemplations by Anne Bradstreet
Read aloud in ~1 min
Written by Anne Bradstreet during the Puritan colonial era, "Contemplations" is a lengthy meditative poem where the speaker strolls through a New England landscape.
- Poet
- Anne Bradstreet
- Core theme
- Faith
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
Written by Anne Bradstreet during the Puritan colonial era, "Contemplations" is a lengthy meditative poem where the speaker strolls through a New England landscape. She reflects on her surroundings—trees, rivers, the sun, the changing seasons—and uses these images to ponder God, human mortality, and the soul's yearning for eternity. Starting with a sense of wonder at nature's beauty, she then grapples with feelings of insignificance and anxiety over the fleeting nature of human life in contrast to the enduring natural world. Ultimately, she finds solace in the belief that the soul persists beyond all earthly things. It’s a genuine exploration of faith, time, and the essence of being alive.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone is reflective and truly exploratory — this isn’t just a poet putting on an act of reverence; it’s a person grappling with authentic doubt and wonder as they navigate their thoughts. A sense of melancholy flows through much of the poem, particularly in the sections discussing time and our small place in the universe, yet it never descends into despair. By the conclusion, the atmosphere shifts toward a quiet acceptance rather than outright joy. Bradstreet writes with a straightforwardness that stands out for her era; she allows herself to feel troubled before she finds solace.
§04Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The oak tree
- The ancient oak at the start of the poem symbolizes the seeming permanence of nature. It has survived countless generations of people, feeling almost immortal in comparison. Bradstreet employs this image to evoke the sharp awareness of human transience before she provides any theological comfort.
- The sun
- The sun captivates the speaker with its immense power and beauty, and for a brief moment, she grasps why ancient cultures revered it. According to the poem, the sun represents the strongest allure to confuse creation with the Creator — it dazzles the eye, yet remains merely a sign directing us to God, rather than being God itself.
- The river
- The flowing river symbolizes time: always in motion, never going back, yet somehow unbroken. It also mirrors the soul's journey — moving through the world without being permanently tied to it. Bradstreet admires the river for its instinctive freedom from the fear of death.
- The seasons / autumn
- Autumn sets the scene for the poem and highlights its main theme of decline and mortality. While nature goes through cycles of death and renewal, humans experience only one life. This seasonal backdrop keeps the poem rooted in the physical world, even as the ideas become more abstract.
- The stars and heavens
- The night sky captures the vastness of eternity and the enormity of creation that overshadows human existence. Gazing at stars that have existed long before us and will continue shining after we're gone serves as the poem's most striking portrayal of mortality — and it powerfully suggests that something greater than humanity must be out there.
- The sea voyage
- The mariner navigating open water represents the soul's journey through life toward death and, as Bradstreet hopes, toward God. For Bradstreet, the ocean crossing from England to Massachusetts was a pivotal experience, adding personal significance to this symbol beyond its theological implications.
§05Historical context
Historical context
Anne Bradstreet wrote "Contemplations" in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, likely in the 1660s, although it wasn't published until after her death. She emigrated from England in 1630 as a teenager, traveling with her husband and father, both of whom were prominent Puritan leaders. Throughout her adult life, she balanced the challenges of colonial living, motherhood, and a complex religious faith. Puritanism taught that the natural world was a text created by God — with every tree and river offering lessons — but it also cautioned against valuing creation more than the Creator. "Contemplations" captures that tension beautifully. The poem draws on classical traditions of nature meditation and the *ubi sunt* lament (where have the great ones gone?), all while being shaped by a distinct Protestant theological perspective. It is widely regarded as her finest work and one of the most accomplished poems from colonial America.
§06FAQ
Questions readers ask
At its heart, the poem explores the contrast between the seemingly endless natural world and the fleeting nature of human life, which can easily fade from memory. Bradstreet wanders through a New England landscape, absorbing the beauty and enduring presence of trees, rivers, and stars. She then poses a profound question: if all this will outlast me, what significance does my life hold? By the end, she concludes that the soul has a purpose beyond the physical world — it seeks eternity with God.
In one of the poem's most striking moments, she gazes at the sun and feels, deep down, why ancient cultures revered it as a god. It's the most powerful and beautiful sight we can see. While she doesn’t actually worship the sun—being a dedicated Puritan—she allows that temptation to come through in her writing before she pulls back. This honesty is what gives the poem its vibrant life, setting it apart from a mere sermon.
The poem is firmly grounded in Puritan Christianity, with Bradstreet's faith serving as the framework for addressing her anxiety about mortality. However, the anxiety—this sense of being insignificant and fleeting in a vast, uncaring universe—is something everyone can relate to. You don’t have to share her beliefs to grasp the weight of the issue she’s confronting. Many readers consider the first two-thirds of the poem, leading up to the theological resolution, to be the most emotionally impactful section.
*Ubi sunt* translates from Latin to 'where are they?' and represents a literary tradition that mourns the loss of significant people and things over time. Bradstreet employs this technique when she inquires about the fate of notable figures from the past — their names forgotten, their buildings fallen into ruin. This classical device, likely familiar to her from her extensive reading, is interpreted through a Puritan perspective: earthly fame is fleeting, and only the soul's connection with God lasts.
Because they don't realize their fate. The fish swims, the river flows, and neither is weighed down by the self-awareness that makes human mortality so difficult. Bradstreet fleetingly wishes she could exchange that knowledge for their freedom — yet she also understands that self-awareness and the ability to have faith are what allow the soul to seek salvation. The envy is genuine, but it also sets the stage for the poem's concluding argument.
The poem consists of seven-line stanzas, each concluding with an alexandrine — a twelve-syllable line. This structure creates a feeling of completion in each stanza, almost like a sigh after expressing a thought. Bradstreet drew inspiration from Edmund Spenser, whose work she admired, particularly noting that *Faerie Queene* employs a similar stanza pattern.
Bradstreet wrote it as a mature woman who had endured the Atlantic crossing, faced illness, navigated the challenges of colonial life, and mourned the loss of loved ones. The poem's reflection on mortality isn't theoretical — it stems from someone with genuine reasons to contemplate death. She also grappled with Puritan doctrine, which expected women to remain silent in public life; her decision to write poetry was a subtle act of self-assertion, and 'Contemplations' stands as her most ambitious and intimate work.
Most of Bradstreet's work was shared in manuscript form with her family and friends. Her first book, *The Tenth Muse*, was published in London in 1650, arranged by her brother-in-law, and she may not have been fully aware or consenting to it. 'Contemplations' was discovered among her papers after she passed away and was published posthumously. She might have thought it too personal or too theological for public sharing — it's a more introspective and probing poem compared to much of her earlier work.
The study desk
Teaching materials and reference tools prepared for this poem.
Seminar guideSocratic · printable
Discussion questions for Contemplations
Open, analytical, and comparative questions for class discussion or a reading group — ready to print or project.
Essay promptsAO-aligned
Essay prompts on Contemplations
Argument-led, context-led, and craft-led written tasks tied to this exact text, aligned to assessment objectives.
Quiz questionsAnswer key included
Reading-check questions for Contemplations
Multiple-choice questions covering meaning, language, and form — each with the correct answer and a short rationale.
ReferenceMLA · APA · Chicago
Cite this poem
A properly formatted citation for your essay or bibliography, typeset by deterministic rules — no AI involved.
Adjacent texts in the archive
Read next
- In the same key
Ode to a Nightingale
John Keats
Read & analyze - In the same key
Tintern Abbey
William Wordsworth
Read & analyze - In the same key
The Prelude
William Wordsworth
Read & analyze - In the same key
To Autumn
John Keats
Read & analyze - In the same key
Mutability
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Read & analyze - In the same key
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Read & analyze