The third stanza describes a fishhawk flying above a pond. The reader imagines coldness and wind, yet the scene is still soft, with the mellow colors of fall. A comforting image of warmth from the coldness outside leaves the reader by the comfort of the hearth side. The meaning of the poem suggests an impending winter and the need to be prepared. This is evident when harvest is discussed in the last stanza.
Food needs to be harvested for the winter months.
Procrastination will leave the farmer with nothing because winter will kill the crops. In the last stanza the reader knows this farmer is already prepared because the corn has been harvested from the field and the beans from the bushes. Hunting season is about to begin as the reference made in the first stanza about hunters' guns indicates. The tone suggests excitement - the hawk circling and the dogs howling. There is an anticipation of activities brought on by winter.