The main theme of “Here I Love You” is about loving someone who is far away. The speaker feels lonely and sad because the person he loves is not with him. He is surrounded by nature (like dark trees, cold wind, the sea, and stars), and all of these things reflect his feelings. Even though he is alone, his love remains strong. He misses the person deeply and thinks about them all the time. Nature helps him express his emotions, and at night, he finds small signs of comfort, like the stars reminding him of the person’s eyes. The poem shows that love can continue even in sadness and distance, and that memory and nature can help keep love alive.
Summary
In this poem, the speaker expresses his deep love for someone who is far away from him. He is in a quiet, lonely place surrounded by nature, i.e. dark pine trees, cold wind, the sea, snow, and stars. Even though the person he loves is not with him, he says, “Here I love you,” showing that his feelings remain strong.
The setting is calm but sad. The wind blows through the trees, the moon glows on the sea, and ships move across the water. These images reflect the speaker’s loneliness and longing. He says that all the days feel the same, and sometimes he wakes up feeling very sad, “even my soul is wet,” meaning he feels emotionally heavy.
He compares himself to ships that sail across the ocean but never arrive anywhere, and to old, forgotten anchors. This shows that he feels lost, forgotten, and without purpose. The place he is in is a port, which usually connects people, but in his case, it only reminds him of separation.
As the day ends and twilight comes, his sadness grows. He says, “I love what I do not have,” because the one he loves is far away. He feels tired and hopeless. Yet, during the night, he finds a little comfort. The moon continues its journey, the stars seem to look at him with the eyes of his beloved, and the trees in the wind seem to whisper her name. These images suggest that even though they are apart, his love lives on through memory and nature.
Interpretation
In this poem, the speaker is expressing his deep love for someone who is not with him. He is in a lonely and quiet place, far from the person he loves. The natural surroundings, such as the dark pine trees, the sea, and the stars, reflect his sadness and longing. Even though he feels forgotten and alone, his love remains strong. He compares himself to things that are abandoned or lost, like ships that sail with no destination or old anchors left behind. This shows how hopeless and empty he feels without his beloved.
However, even in his sadness, the speaker finds small signs of connection. The moon, the stars, and the sound of the wind seem to carry memories of the one he loves. It is as if nature understands his pain and shares in his emotions. The poem shows that love can survive even when people are far apart. It also suggests that nature can help us hold on to love and memory, even in difficult times.
Understanding
1. What do "here" (Line 1) and "there" (Line 19) refer to?
“Here” refers to the place where the speaker is now, and “there” refers to the place where the person he loves is, i.e. far away and out of his reach.
2. Why does the speaker look at the ships sailing away?The speaker watches the ships because they remind him of his own feelings. The ships are leaving but don’t seem to have a clear destination, just like his love, which feels lost and without an end.
3. What does the "black cross" (Line 8) symbolise?The “black cross” of a ship likely symbolises sadness, loneliness, or even death. It creates a dark and sorrowful image that matches the speaker’s mood.
4. Where are the "heavy vessels" (Line 16) going?The “heavy vessels” are crossing the sea without any clear destination, i.e. “towards no arrival.” This means they are going somewhere unknown, which reflects the speaker’s lost and uncertain feelings about love.
5. What's the meaning of "even my soul is wet" (Line 10)?This line means the speaker feels deeply sad or emotional. Saying his “soul is wet” shows that he feels heavy with sorrow, as if even his inner self is soaked in sadness.
6. Why is he happy at night?At night, the speaker finds some peace and comfort. The moon and stars remind him of the one he loves, and the trees seem to whisper her name. Nature gives him a feeling of closeness to her, even though she is far away.
Rhetoric/Language/Writing
1. How is the poem structured? Why are the stanza lengths different?
The poem is made up of short and long stanzas. The stanza lengths are different because the poet is expressing changing emotions, i.e. sometimes deep and heavy, sometimes quiet and soft. The uneven structure also shows the flow of thoughts and feelings that come and go, just like the waves of the sea.
2. What are the images in the poem? Classify them according to natural and man-made images.Natural and man-made images used in the poem are given below.
- Natural images: Dark pines, wind, moon, sea, snow, gull, stars, and twilights
- Man-made images: Ship, port, piers, anchors, and heavy vessels
3. What is the connotation of the word "dark" in "dark pines" (Line 2)?
The word “dark” suggests sadness, mystery, or loneliness. It helps create a serious and quiet mood, showing that the speaker is feeling emotionally low and isolated.
4. Explain the simile "moon glows like phosphorus" (Line 3).This simile means the moon shines with a pale, glowing light, similar to phosphorus. It creates a soft, ghostly image that matches the calm but sad mood of the poem.
5. How does the poet try to send his message to his departed lover?The poet uses natural images to express his feelings. He says that his kisses travel with ships, and the trees and stars carry his love. This means he uses nature as a way to stay connected with the one he loves, even though she is far away.
6. Is the poem pessimistic from top to bottom?No, the poem is not completely pessimistic. While most of it shows sadness, loneliness, and longing, the end of the poem brings a little hope. At night, the speaker feels comfort from the stars and trees, which seem to carry the memory of his beloved. This shows that love and beauty still exist, even in his sorrow.
Discussion
1. What different subject might the poet discuss if he/she were "here"?
If the poet’s beloved were with him “here,” he might talk about happiness, closeness, and shared moments. Instead of loneliness and sadness, he would probably write about love filled with joy, warmth, and connection, because her presence would bring comfort and peace.
2. Discuss "Here I Love You" as a love poem.“Here I Love You” is a love poem because it shows deep and honest emotions about being in love with someone who is far away. The speaker expresses how much he misses and loves the person, even though she is not with him. He uses beautiful images from nature, like the sea, moon, trees, and stars, to show his strong feelings. The poem speaks about longing, memory, and how love can stay alive even in sadness and distance.
3. "I love you still among these cold things" (Line 15). Explain.This line means that the speaker continues to love the person even though he is surrounded by cold, lifeless, and lonely things, like the sea, ships, and piers. These “cold things” represent his sad and empty surroundings, but his love remains strong in the middle of all that sadness.
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