"The Chestnut Casts His Flambeaux," written by A. Housman surrounds itself with fatalism, doom, and mutability. In the first stanza, he describes the scenery and weather during the end of May. When Housman states, "The chestnut casts his flambeaux, and the flowers/Stream from the hawthorn on the wind way," the chestnut having cast his flambeaux suggests flaming torches and the flowers losing its natural home in the hawthorn, and flies following the direction of the wind like a school of fish, is a symbolism. It represents the end of May, and the beginning of another season. "The doors clap to, the pane is blind with showers/Pass me the can lad; there's an end of May," displays his melancholy demeanor towards the weather, "The can" is a mug of liquor in which he made use of to comfort his troubled soul.
In the second stanza, he mentioned,"There's one spoilt spring to scant our mortal lot,/One season ruined of our little store." In his viewpoint, the spoilt season of Spring is barely sufficient in the act of foreseeing inevitable fate of doom that destroyed his "store." He is anticipating better fortune in the upcoming year, but is doubtful of the future when he turns the age of twenty-four-that's when mutablity is quite possible. The third stanza, first verse also conveys that effect.
Housman feels despair of apprehensions to come regarding doom. He wants to drink his troubles away by going to a tavern despite that the "tempest hurled." The condition of the weather correlates to his feelings, and he feels that that the world is being cursed, and doom is upon humanity. Housman's attitude shines through when he implied, "Whatever brute and blackgaurd made the world." Hatred towards his viewpoint of the worldly havoc suffers his mind and he wants to turn his back to it, for he sees it as beastly, and whoever created it must surely be a scoundrel.
He then proceeds to talk about truth in the forth stanza.
