# XX: In the Dark Pine-Wood explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Joyce.

## What happens

The speaker invites their beloved to join them in a secluded pine forest at noon, where they can lie in cool shadow and share intimate kisses, emphasizing the sweetness of the moment and the allure of the natural setting.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Longing

The poem is a direct invitation to a lover, expressing desire for closeness and intimacy in a secluded natural setting.

### Nature and Mood

The dark pine-wood and cool shadow create a mood of seclusion and tranquility, enhancing the romantic atmosphere.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who invites the beloved to the pine-wood.

### Beloved

The one addressed and invited to share an intimate moment in the forest.

### Love

Personified as the sweet companion in the pine-wood.

## Key lines

> In the dark pine-wood I would we lay, In deep cool shadow At noon of day.

I wish we were lying together in the dark pine forest, in the deep, cool shade at midday.

_The speaker expresses a longing to be with the beloved in a specific, idyllic natural setting._

> How sweet to lie there, Sweet to kiss, Where the great pine-forest Enaisled is!

How delightful it would be to lie there and kiss, in the great pine forest that feels like an isolated sanctuary.

_The forest is described as an 'enaisled' or island-like retreat, emphasizing its seclusion and the sweetness of the imagined encounter._

> O, unto the pine-wood At noon of day Come with me now, Sweet love, away.

Oh, come with me now to the pine forest at midday, my sweet love, let us go away together.

_The speaker urgently invites the beloved to escape with them to the forest._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xx-in-the-dark-pine-wood
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters