What Shall I Do It Whimpers So
poem 186
What Shall I Do It Whimpers So - meaning Summary
A Pleading Inner Pet
The poem personifies an anxious, pleading impulse as a small hound “within the Heart” that nags the speaker day and night. The speaker asks whether to free or send this creature to the addressee, seeking permission and fearing imposition. The tone mixes vulnerability and playful intimacy as the speaker imagines the dog approaching the beloved’s knee and waits for a response—ultimately deferring to a mediator, Carlo, to settle the question.
Read Complete AnalysesWhat shall I do it whimpers so This little Hound within the Heart All day and night with bark and start And yet, it will not go Would you untie it, were you me Would it stop whining if to Thee I sent it even now? It should not tease you By your chair or, on the mat Or if it dare to climb your dizzy knee Or sometimes at your side to run When you were willing Shall it come? Tell Carlo He’ll tell me!
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