Aftermath

This poem reflects a profound engagement with nature as an omnipresent and cyclical force, and human apprehension of time and prophecy. It opens with a transitional moment in nature - the cessation of the bees' murmuring - signaling the end of a season or cycle, and the beginning of another. The "posterior, prophetic" murmuring that replaces the bees' suggests the poet's perception of nature as a predictive force, a kind of oracle that communicates in subtle shifts and hums.

The second stanza further explores the cyclicality of nature with phrases like "the lower metres of the year," which evoke the ebbing of time. The poet presents nature's laughter as having ceased, perhaps indicating the onset of autumn or winter. There's a biblical undertone with "The Revelations of the book / Whose Genesis is June," implying that the year's cycle is akin to the narrative of the Bible, beginning (Genesis) in June and moving towards an end (Revelation). The poem is structured in short, concise lines, and employs auditory imagery, metaphor, and biblical allusion. The tone is contemplative, imbued with a sense of awe and quiet anticipation for the cycle to continue. In all, it's a beautifully woven tapestry of nature's temporal rhythm and mankind's quest for understanding.