The speaker of the poem reflects on a meeting with a romantic partner beside a winter pond. Observing the bare surroundings and the sun's bleached appearance causes the speaker to sense an emotional disconnect. The speaker interprets the physical environment as a direct reflection of the fading relationship.

The romantic partner of the speaker exhibits a growing distance during their winter meeting. Rather than showing passionate anger, the lover looks at the speaker with tired eyes and a strained, bitter smile. The fading interest of this individual acts as the catalyst for the melancholic atmosphere.

An English Victorian poet and novelist who initially trains as an architect before devoting himself to writing. He works in London to build his career. His early romantic entanglements and shifting religious beliefs heavily influence his artistic output. He explores controversial subjects like Victorian sexual morality in his fiction.

An intellectual, religiously devout housemaid who meets Thomas Hardy in London around 1861. She engages in a serious courtship with the young writer. Her strong religious convictions occasionally contrast with his growing agnosticism.

A woman who courts Thomas Hardy and inspires his fiction. She marries him and moves into Max Gate, the house he designs. She struggles with the autobiographical readings of his controversial novels, causing friction regarding his writing subjects.

A young woman who takes on secretarial duties for the writer. She assists with his work and forms a close emotional attachment to him over the course of her employment.

The younger sister of Eliza Bright Nicholls. She becomes the subject of a brief flirtation with the writer, creating tension within the existing courtship dynamics.

The well-read mother of Thomas Hardy. She actively encourages her eldest son's academic pursuits and reading habits during his formative years in Dorset.

A rural stonemason who raises a family in Dorset. His modest financial circumstances mean his eldest son's formal education ends at age sixteen.

The younger sister of Thomas Hardy, born in 1841. She maintains a close personal bond with her older brother throughout his early life.

A London architect who specializes in church renovation. He hires the young Thomas Hardy after the young man wins prizes for his architectural work at King's College.