The poem’s speaker likens the “faces in the crowd” (Line 1) to an “apparition” (Line 1) and “Petals” (Line 2). The face is an image of the self. As a sociological concept, a face is associated with respectability and/or the compliance which a person can claim for themselves or for others. Initially, the faces represent a collective acting as a whole. However, another interpretation is that like the “Petals” (Line 2), the “faces in the crowd” (Line 1) are a representation of individualism. The plural form—”faces” (Line 1)—creates a separation from the mass and establishes distinction.

In the poem, the speaker attributes no specific color or flower species to the petals. However, the petals lie conspicuous against a “wet, black bough” (Line 2). The speaker implies the petals’ vibrancy. The speaker’s suggestion that the “faces in the crowd” (Line 1) are “Petals” (Line 2) speaks to humanity’s fragility and the brevity of life. The petals’ position on the “wet, black bough” (Line 2) represents the elegance of not only nature, but also of life. In nature, petals are found in a variety of shapes and colors. The petals then become representative of individuality.