Here, a direct comparison is made between the tail of a peacock and the leaves in the wind. This is particularly striking because it is seemingly an unusual comparison because leaves that are falling to the ground (in autumn) are typically shades of red or orange, while the tail of a peacock is mostly greens and blues (although it does carry a variety of colors). The peacock and the leaves might be compared in that they are two parts of a process. The peacock is alive and thriving, while the leaves pictured are ones that have reached the end of the cycle. The metaphor of life and death is one that is repeated throughout the poem, in this stanza especially.