[763] Love Without Hope

Guest poem submitted by Vikram Doctor, <vikdoc@>:

Love without hope, as when the young bird-catcher
Swept off his tall hat to the Squire's own daughter,
So let the imprisoned larks escape and fly
Singing about her head, as she rode by.

	-- Robert Graves

Graves isn't always an easy poet to read. His more mystical works are pretty
hard going. But nothing could be simpler than today's poem in the way it
captures both the impossibilities of one-sided love, and yet the good that
can come of it.

The pain of one-sided loving can have some redeeming benefits. Perhaps it
could be in the way it makes you more aware of your feelings (as in the
Auden poem 'The More Loving One' which I sent earlier). Perhaps it could be
with the art that comes from it - think of the many masterpieces of
literature that have come from unattainable love. Perhaps even just in the
generosity of a gesture that can "let the imprisoned larks escape and fly /
Singing about her head... "

Vikram.

[Minstrels Links]

Other poems by Robert Graves:
Poem #55, "Welsh Incident"
Poem #298, "The Cool Web"
Poem #467, "Like Snow"
Poem #516, "The Persian Version"
Poem #564, "Warning to Children"
Poem #663, "A Child's Nightmare"
The first of these has a Graves bio attached.