Summarize the poem "Loveliest of Trees" by A. E. Housman.

A, E. Housman writes about making the most of the moment
in his poem “The Loveliest of Trees.” No one will live forever, so squeeze every
possible minute of the enjoyment of nature.

The setting of
the poem is Easter, and spring has brought the lovely cherry trees to bloom.  The poet
is riding in a carriage or on horseback  in a rural area. The narration is first person
with the poet as the
speaker.

Summary

The
first stanza describes a beautiful scene.  The cherry trees are so covered with blossoms
that the branches hang down from their bounty. 

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Loveliest of trees, the cherry
now

Is hung with bloom along the
bough,

And stands about the woodland
ride

Wearing white for
Eastertide.

The trees stand
along the way as the speaker goes for a ride.  It is the perfect setting for the Easter
time with the trees wearing their white.  The speaker implies a connection to the
religious time and the white of the trees symbolizing the purity and innocence of
Christ.

In the second stanza, we learn that the speaker is
a little more than twenty years old. Of his "threescore years and ten" (seventy
years--the life expectancy of man laid out in Psalms 90 of the Bible), he will only have
fifty more years to enjoy the beauty of the earth.

The
third stanza explains that fifty years is really not enough time to relish the beauty of
the earth, the spring, and the lovely cherry trees.  Using a clever idea, he will be
able to observe the cherry trees in winter as well as spring. In winter, the trees will
be covered in white, but this will be snow; in spring, they are covered with the
luscious white blooms. He will travel again in the woodland area to take in the beauty
of the cherry trees.

The poet conveys the idea that spring
does not have the monopoly on beauty for the seasons.  Each season has its own kind of
glory. The fall has the leaves; the winter its snow; the summer its flowers; and the
spring its green---all are a part of the landscape which in itself is a work of
art.

Life is short, and travels rapidly by. The only thing
a person can do is relish each moment that he has.  Be excited about life and its
beauty.  Nature will go on whether one enjoys it or not.  Nature is indifferent to man
and does not wait on man to enjoy its loveliness.  The speaker will appreciate the
spring and the exquisite trees as long as he walks the earth.