Author: Thomas Campbell

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    How delicious is the winning
    Of a kiss at love's beginning,
    When two mutual hearts are sighing
    For the knot there's no untying!
    Yet remember, 'Midst our wooing,
    Love has bliss, but Love has ruing;
    Other smiles may make you fickle,
    Tears for other charms may trickle.
    Love he comes, and Love he tarries,
    Just as fate or fancy carries;
    Longest stays, when sorest chidden;
    Laughs and flies, when press'd and bidden.
    Bind the sea to slumber stilly,
    Bind its odour to the lily,
    Bind the aspen ne'er to quiver,
    Then bind Love to last for ever.
    Love's a fire that needs renewal
    Of fresh beauty for its fuel:
    Love's wing moults when caged and captured,
    Only free, he soars enraptured.
    Can you keep the bee from ranging
    Or the ringdove's neck from changing?
    No! nor fetter'd Love from dying
    In the knot there's no untying.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a poignant exploration of romantic love, its pleasures, and its pitfalls. The poet begins with the exhilaration of new love, likening the thrill of a first kiss to a victory. The imagery used, such as "the knot there's no untying," further intensifies the sense of love as a powerful, binding force. However, the poet doesn't shy away from the complications of love. They caution that love can also bring pain, symbolized by the "ruing," and that infidelity and fickleness can creep in.

The poet employs a variety of metaphors to illustrate the nature of love. The comparison of love to a fire that needs constant renewal underscores its dynamic and consuming nature, while the metaphor of love as a caged bird — only truly thriving when free — emphasizes the importance of freedom within love. The repeated line "In the knot there's no untying" serves as a refrain, reinforcing the inescapable and binding nature of love. The overall tone of the poem is both celebratory and cautionary, capturing the complex and often contradictory nature of love. Structurally, the poem follows a consistent rhyme scheme, giving it a rhythmic flow that mirrors the ebb and flow of the emotions being explored. The concluding lines, which question the reader's ability to control nature — and by extension, love — serve as a powerful reminder of love's wild and unpredictable nature.