He Touched Me, So I Live to Know
poem 506
He Touched Me, So I Live to Know - meaning Summary
Touch as Transformation
The speaker describes a single, transformative touch that changes her perception and status. Physical intimacy—groping on his breast—becomes a vast, silencing presence that elevates her from wandering to dignified, almost royal being. Religious and cultural images (Jerusalem, Rebecca, Persian worshipper) underline the speaker’s astonishment and devotion, suggesting the encounter feels like a sacred revelation that transfigures identity and confers lasting, reverent recognition.
Read Complete AnalysesHe touched me, so I live to know That such a day, permitted so, I groped upon his breast It was a boundless place to me And silenced, as the awful sea Puts minor streams to rest. And now, I’m different from before, As if I breathed superior air Or brushed a Royal Gown My feet, too, that had wandered so My Gypsy face transfigured now To tenderer Renown Into this Port, if I might come, Rebecca, to Jerusalem, Would not so ravished turn Nor Persian, baffled at her shrine Lift such a Crucifixial sign To her imperial Sun.
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