Stanza One

The title itself sets the stage for the poem, plunging us into the dawn's quiet grace in "Early in the Morning." Lee captures the exact moment when his mother tends to her hair, marking it as "while the 'long grain' is softening," yet "before / the salted Winter Vegetable is sliced." Here, the "long grain" likely refers to rice, a beloved morning staple in many Asian cultures, softening as it cooks. The winter vegetable might be a cucumber or perhaps a pickled radish, richly salted and served in a comforting dish known as congee. This delicate scene unfolds in the hush of early dawn, "before the birds" grace the sky. Lee's meticulous timing of his mother's hair-combing ritual suggests a household governed by order, where even the simplest acts resonate with deep significance. The ivory comb she uses, a luxury item, infuses the ritual with symbolic depth, accentuating the stark contrast against her dark hair.

Lee skillfully employs a simile to paint his mother's hair: "heavy / and black as calligrapher’s ink." Similes, employing "like" or "as," highlight unexpected similarities. Here, calligraphy, with its artistic and emotive brush strokes, parallels her hair, evoking Lee's profound connection to Chinese culture. Calligraphy is not only an art form but also a means of communication, and by likening his mother's hair to "calligrapher’s ink," Lee pays homage to the elegance and tradition of his heritage.

Stanza Two

In this stanza, Lee shifts his focus to spatial dynamics, positioning his mother within a realm observed by both the speaker and his father. The boy's gaze now rests on his father, who silently watches the tender hair-combing ritual. The sound of the comb weaving through her hair transforms into "music" for the father's ears, a melody that requires absolute quiet to be truly heard. This pervasive silence serves as the canvas upon which the speaker's reflections and insights are painted.

Stanza Three

This stanza meticulously chronicles the mother’s methodical actions, resembling a guidebook for mastering hair care. Gathering one’s hair often heralds the onset of tasks, akin to "rolling up your sleeves"—both acts ensure cleanliness and readiness. For half a century, the mother has upheld this ritual, as reflected in the line, "For half a hundred years she has done this." If she started as a young girl, Lee, as the speaker, emerges as a young adult or late adolescent. As in the previous stanza, the speaker's focus ultimately shifts to the father, who adores his wife's hair pinned back, declaring, "He says it is kempt." The word "kempt" resonates with neatness and order, echoing the father's priority for tidiness and the mother's desire to please her spouse.

Stanza Four

Throughout the last two stanzas, the speaker has painted vivid images of his mother’s morning hair ritual and the father’s reaction, culminating in the third stanza’s revelation of the father’s preference for "kempt" hair. In this stanza, the speaker delves deeper into the father's motives, suggesting his fondness for his wife’s hair pulled back stems from the anticipation of undoing it at day's end. Lee unveils this insight with the same deliberate care as the father uses to "pull the pins out" of her hair. A simile enriches the description of her hair cascading down, likened to the graceful descent of "curtains" when drawn at dusk. This evening ritual mirrors the morning's, hinting at the intimate bond shared between the couple, as "letting one’s hair down" carries a whisper of eroticism. As the curtains fall, shutting out the light, so too does this poem softly conclude.