I dreaded that first Robin, so

I dreaded that first Robin, so,
But He is mastered, now,
I'm some accustomed to Him grown,
He hurts a little, though-

I thought if I could only live
Till that first Shout got by-
Not all Pianos in the Woods
Had power to mangle me-

I dared not meet the daffodils-
For fear their Yellow Gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own-

I wished the Grass would hurry-
So-when 'twas time to see-
He'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch-to look at me-

I could not bear the Bees should come,
I wished they'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go,
What word had they, for me?

They're here, though: not a creature failed-
No Blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me-
The Queen of Calvary-

Each one salutes me, as he goes,
And I, my childish Plumes,
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking Drums-

The central purpose is nature. The robin is a symbol of a boy growing up and setting free from his childhood.

The speaker is a mother raising her son and is having a hard time letting him go. She does not want him to grow up, as any mother wouldn't. The poem states "I'm some accustomed to him grown" which proves her feelings. She compares her son to grass and how quickly it grows. "He'd be too tall, the tallest one" and she "could not bear the bees should come" are signs of the boy maturing.

I can relate to the boy because I will soon be leaving home and my mother is having a difficult time letting me go.