Analysis of the Trees of Wilbur's Orchard, January While reading one of Richard Wilbur's poems, one can get extremely confused while trying to find the actual meaning of the poem . Someone could take the easy way out and not try to delve deeper into the poem to find its true meaning, or one could investigate the poem and discover what Wilbur is trying to convey to the reader. In “Orchard Trees, January,” we might understand what Wilbur is trying to say if we take the time to think about it. However, in some of his poems it is almost impossible to know what he is talking about. Only the interpretation of Wilbur himself could help one who is completely baffled by one of his poems. Authors often write their poems on the spur of the moment, and the mood the poet is in reflects the meaning of the poem. Centenary College was fortunate to have Richard Wilbur come to the school and explain several of his poems. This helps in dissecting Wilbur's poems. Reading “Orchard Trees, January,” it seems to be about how a tree survives the harsh winter until spring arrives, where it appears new and fresher than ever. Looking deeper into the poem one can glean details from it, which is probably what Wilbur wants us to know. In the poem, it appears that someone is inside their house looking at a tree outside. The person marvels at how the tree can withstand the cold, continuous snow, and other harsh conditions of winter. As evidenced by the person at the window throughout the winter, the bark of the tree remains strong, but the winter snow was able to penetrate it. The tree freezes, but it is strong enough to live through the winter until spring relieves its suffering. When spring finally arrives, the effects of winter can no longer harm the tree. The frost phase is over and the tree can give new life and new growth in spring. The true meaning of this poem can only be perfectly interpreted by Wilbur himself. In "Orchard Trees, January", it seems that the interpretation given above is correct, although Wilbur may have different stress points. There is probably an even deeper meaning in this poem that Wilbur could convey, but most of the time it is up to the reader to be able to spot it and connect it to the poem..