# A Lover's Envy explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Henry van Dyke Jr..

## What happens

The speaker expresses a deep, selfless envy for the natural and poetic elements that surround and delight their beloved, wishing only to give her everything her heart desires without demanding anything in return.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Sacrifice

The speaker's envy is not possessive but selfless, desiring only to give and serve the beloved.

### Nature and Divine Beauty

The poem uses flowers, birds, breezes, trees, and moonlight to express the beloved's beauty and the speaker's admiration.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker who envies the flowers, birds, and breezes that attend the beloved.

### Vera

The beloved who is the object of the speaker's envy and devotion.

## Key lines

> I envy every flower that blows / Along the meadow where she goes

I am jealous of each flower that blooms in the meadow she walks through.

_The speaker envies the natural world that can be near the beloved._

> I envy none whose love requires / Of her a gift, a task that tires: / I only long to live to her, / I only ask to give to her, / All that her heart desires.

I do not envy those who demand gifts or effort from her; I only wish to live for her and give her everything she wants.

_The speaker's love is selfless and focused on the beloved's happiness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/a-lover-s-envy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters