Storm Ending

Both the first and last words of the poem are “thunder” (Lines 1, 9), and this bookending element underscores the authority of this central symbol. The speaker describes thunder as both powerful and beautiful. It blooms “gorgeously” (Line 1) and is “[g]reat” (Line 2). While thunder is more powerful than humans and the earth, it can be defeated, cyclically, by the sun. The thunder’s transience is suggested in the diction of “hollow” in Line 2. While thunderclouds are “[g]reat” (Line 2), they are also hollow and penetrable by the sun. This central metaphor establishes the poem’s cosmic hierarchy and underscores humanity’s humble station within that hierarchy.

Thunder traditionally symbolizes sky gods. According to Michael Ferber’s Dictionary of Literary Symbols, the gods of the “Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans manifested themselves in lightning and thunder.” Zeus and Jupiter, as well as the Abrahamic God, use thunder. While “Storm Ending” is not distinctly religious, it thematically examines the semi-divine power of nature over humans.

The poem’s flowers are both a motif and metaphor, and while they do not directly appear until the second line, the first line heralds their presence with the thunder’s metaphorical blossoming.