Except the Heaven Had Come So Near
poem 472
Except the Heaven Had Come So Near - meaning Summary
Sudden Nearness, Double Loss
The speaker reflects on an unexpected closeness with the divine that intensifies later absence. What once felt safely distant becomes painfully near, so its departure hurts more. The poem frames grief as a compounded loss: the lost presence itself and the added anguish of witnessing its leaving. Themes include yearning, the paradox of proximity increasing pain, and the way hope can make loss sharper.
Read Complete AnalysesExcept the Heaven had come so near So seemed to choose My Door The Distance would not haunt me so I had not hoped before But just to hear the Grace depart I never thought to see Afflicts me with a Double loss ‘Tis lost and lost to me
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