If She Had Been the Mistletoe
poem 44
If She Had Been the Mistletoe - meaning Summary
Tradition Framing Private Longing
The speaker imagines a romantic reversal: if she were mistletoe and the speaker a rose, there would be a public joining, a closing of “velvet life.” Yet the speaker claims allegiance to Druid tradition while the beloved belongs to dew, so desire is channeled into ritual and symbolic gesture rather than consummation. The poem contrasts private longing with the restraint of custom and a graceful, emblematic offering.
Read Complete AnalysesIf she had been the Mistletoe And I had been the Rose How gay upon your table My velvet life to close Since I am of the Druid, And she is of the dew I’ll deck Tradition’s buttonhole And send the Rose to you.
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