I Envy Seas, Whereon He Rides
poem 498
I Envy Seas, Whereon He Rides - meaning Summary
Envy of the Beloved's World
The speaker catalogs natural scenes and simple objects—seas, hills, nests, light—that seem to share access to a beloved. She expresses sharp envy at their easy proximity and mourns her own exclusion, calling that access "forbidden" to her. The poem moves from wistful comparison to a plea: she would rather not be erased or displaced by these things, fearing an everlasting separation from the beloved.
Read Complete AnalysesI envy Seas, whereon He rides I envy Spokes of Wheels Of Chariots, that Him convey I envy Crooked Hills That gaze upon His journey How easy All can see What is forbidden utterly As Heaven unto me! I envy Nests of Sparrows That dot His distant Eaves The wealthy Fly, upon His Pane The happy happy Leaves That just abroad His Window Have Summer’s leave to play The Ear Rings of Pizarro Could not obtain for me I envy Light that wakes Him And Bells that boldly ring To tell Him it is Noon, abroad Myself be Noon to Him Yet interdict my Blossom And abrogate my Bee Lest Noon in Everlasting Night Drop Gabriel and Me
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