# XIV: My Dove, My Beautiful One explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Joyce.

## What happens

The narrator calls out to a beloved figure, urging them to arise and come to the cedar tree, where the night-dew and odorous winds create a sensory atmosphere. The speaker offers their own breast as a bed, expressing deep longing and devotion.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Longing

The narrator's urgent and tender call to the beloved, offering their breast as a bed, expresses deep romantic longing.

### Nature and Mood

Imagery of night-dew, odorous winds, and the cedar tree creates a moody, natural setting that reflects the speaker's emotional state.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who waits by the cedar tree and calls to the beloved.

### Beloved

The one addressed as 'my dove, my beautiful one' and 'my sister, my love'.

## Key lines

> My dove, my beautiful one, Arise, arise!

My beloved, my beautiful one, get up, get up!

_The narrator urgently calls the beloved to wake and come._

> I wait by the cedar tree, My sister, my love, White breast of the dove, My breast shall be your bed.

I am waiting by the cedar tree, my sister, my love; your white dove-like breast will rest on my chest.

_The speaker offers intimacy and comfort, awaiting the beloved's arrival._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xiv-my-dove-my-beautiful-one
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters