Such as I Was Before
Such as I Was Before - fact Summary
Confession of Love's Deceit
This short poem is a personal confession in which the speaker admits to remaining unchanged: impulsive, easily charmed, and repeatedly deceived by love. He acknowledges a pattern of naive striving and self-inflicted pain, comparing himself to a young hawk ensnared by Cupid’s traps. The tone is rueful and self-aware, emphasizing cyclical desire and an inability to learn from past romantic betrayals.
Read Complete AnalysesSuch, as I was before, I’m now left to be: Reckless, susceptible. My friends, you know me; I can’t help feeling charms without strong affection And bashful gentleness and secret agitation. Oh, how oft through life I was deceived by love, How oft, like a young hawk, I beat myself and strived In the deceptive nets spread by Cyprida senseless, And still not rectified by the offences endless, I cry my former pleas to new idols of mine. Translated by Yevgeny Bonver
Feel free to be first to leave comment.