Alba

Alba - meaning Summary

Dawn's Intimate Snapshot

Pound's very short lyric captures a fleeting, intimate moment at dawn. Using a cool natural image—"pale wet leaves of lily-of-the-valley"—the speaker compares the sleeping or waking companion to a delicate, chilly flower, conveying tenderness mixed with emotional distance. The poem compresses atmosphere, bodily presence, and transience into a single snapshot, leaving the reader with a sense of fragility and quiet detachment.