# O, Sweet Sometime explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ameen Rihani.

## What happens

The speaker addresses a personified 'Sometime,' expressing the agony and ecstasy of waiting for a longed-for moment. The poem explores the tension between anticipation and fulfillment, ultimately finding the waiting itself to be a source of sweetness and pleasure.

## Themes in this chapter

### Desire and Restraint

The poem centers on the tension between the desire for fulfillment and the restraint of waiting, finding pleasure in the anticipation itself.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The speaker who waits and addresses 'Sometime,' experiencing the emotional turmoil of anticipation.

## Key lines

> O, sweet Sometime, the gardens bloom the while I wait; Each moment melts a tear of joy before thy gate; It is thy pleasure that I burn⁠—it is my fate, O, sweet Sometime!

While I wait for you, O sweet Sometime, the gardens are in bloom and each moment brings a joyful tear. It is your will that I suffer this burning desire, and it is my destiny.

_The speaker acknowledges the bittersweet nature of waiting, where joy and suffering coexist._

> Far sweeter is Expectancy⁠—ah, let me press The vigor from her limbs to mine; I’ll yet caress The waiting while, O, sweet Sometime!

Anticipation is even sweeter than fulfillment—let me embrace its energy and continue to cherish the time of waiting.

_The speaker concludes that the state of expectancy is more pleasurable than the actual moment of arrival._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_2_se/chapters/o-sweet-sometime
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_2_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_2_se/chapters