The More Loving One
Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.
How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.
Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.
Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total darkness sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.
The message I recieved from this poem is that in order to continue being happy even when your love is unrequited, is to know that there is some solice in knowing that you have given your all while they fell short by unreciprocating. I think that the lines, “How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?” refers to this. If you were unable to compare to the brilliance by the stars then one might feel a bit silenced by it. I think that there is a reason the author used the stars in this poem is to show that there are millions of people out there and you shouldn’t feel down if one, or a few don’t return your love because there is tons of chances to find the one that will. My favorite line is “I cannot, now I see them, say I missed one terribly all day.” It shows because he has loved so often that it’s not really a big deal to him, it doesn’t really hurt him as much. The author takes comfort in the fact that the indifference he recieves from those that don’t love him isn’t quite the worst thing that can happen to someone.
The use of the stars here is masterful.
poetryprof said this on September 21, 2008 at 7:38 pm
“If equal affection cannot be, Let the more loving one be me.” I feel that this is the most powerful line in this poem because this is the line were the theme of the poem is presented. That theme is the struggle to find true love among so many people. I think the use of stars to represent potential lovers is a cleaver way to symbolize the fact that there are many people on earth out there, like there are stars in space. I think it is a much better analogy than the one about their being “many fish in the sea”.
mastersloth said this on September 22, 2008 at 11:21 am
nice comment, mastersloth.
poetryprof said this on October 1, 2008 at 1:30 am