To Lily

To Lily - meaning Summary

Unreturned Love's Bitter Plea

This short lyric expresses a speaker's anguished, unreciprocated love. The narrator confesses despair and emotional exhaustion while addressing Lily, who remains indifferent and even amused. The poem contrasts the speaker's inner torment with the beloved's external beauty and apparent lack of sympathy, capturing the pain of loving someone who does not return or acknowledge those feelings. The mood is intimate, direct, and melancholic.