Poetry · Chapter
O Do Not Leave Me explained
The speaker pleads with mother, lover, brother, and friends not to leave until death, and then turns to God with a request not to be left until complete unity of heart and mind is achieved, so that leaving itself is transcended.
What happens
The speaker pleads with mother, lover, brother, and friends not to leave until death, and then turns to God with a request not to be left until complete unity of heart and mind is achieved, so that leaving itself is transcended.
Themes in this chapter
Love as Ultimate Strength
The speaker's reliance on the presence of mother, lover, brother, and friends to find peace and ascent.
Longing for Immortality
The final petition to God for oneness that transcends leaving, implying a desire for eternal union.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“O do not leave me, mother, lest I weep; Till I forget, be near me in that chair. The mother’s presence leads her down to sleep— Leaves her contented there.”
Please stay with me, mother, so I won't cry; sit by me until I can forget my sorrow. Your comforting presence helps me fall asleep peacefully.
The speaker seeks maternal comfort to find rest.
“Leave me not, God, until—nay, until when? Not till I have with thee one heart, one mind; Not till the Life is Light in me, and then Leaving is left behind.”
Do not abandon me, God—until when? Until I am completely united with you in heart and mind, until my life becomes radiant with your light, and then separation will no longer exist.
The speaker's ultimate plea for divine union that abolishes all parting.