The Picture

The Picture - meaning Summary

Unanswered Desire in a Gaze

The poem presents a speaker confronted by the eyes of a dead woman, which register continuing love and desire rather than silence. The repeated line emphasizes that these feelings persist despite death and cannot be erased or diminished. The short, declarative lines give a sense of immediacy and conviction: the speaker reads longing and an unfulfilled erotic presence in the gaze, suggesting memory and yearning that survive loss.