Poetry · Chapter
To ⸻ explained
The speaker laments not having a man's fair form or knightly prowess to win the beloved's heart, yet resolves to dote upon her and seek her sweetness through spells and incantation under the moonlight.
What happens
The speaker laments not having a man's fair form or knightly prowess to win the beloved's heart, yet resolves to dote upon her and seek her sweetness through spells and incantation under the moonlight.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Loss
The speaker's unrequited or distant love and the longing to reach the beloved's heart.
Beauty and Transience
The beloved's sweetness compared to Hybla's honied roses, and the ephemeral dew gathered by moonlight.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who longs for the beloved despite lacking conventional masculine beauty or valor.
Key passages
“Had I a man’s fair form, then might my sighs Be echoed swiftly through that ivory shell Thine ear, and find thy gentle heart”
If I had a handsome male appearance, my sighs would quickly reach your ear and touch your kind heart.
The speaker wishes for physical attractiveness to convey his emotions directly to the beloved.
“I am no happy shepherd of the dell Whose lips have trembled with a maiden’s eyes.”
I am not a joyful shepherd whose lips have quivered under a maiden's gaze.
The speaker contrasts himself with a pastoral lover who has experienced mutual affection.
“Ah! I will taste that dew, for me ’tis meet, And when the moon her pallid face discloses, I’ll gather some by spells, and incantation.”
Ah! I will taste that dew, for it is fitting for me, and when the moon reveals her pale face, I will collect some through magic and incantations.
The speaker resolves to use supernatural means to obtain the beloved's sweetness.