Ditty of First Desire
In the green morning I wanted to be a heart. A heart. And in the ripe evening I wanted to be a nightingale. A nightingale. Soul, turn orange-colored. Soul, turn the color of love. In the vivid morning I wanted to be myself. A heart. And at the evening's end I wanted to be my voice. A nightingale. Soul, turn orange-colored. Soul, turn the color of love.
Ditty of First Desire - meaning Summary
Yearning for Changing Selves
The speaker expresses repeated, simple wishes to become different embodiments—heart, nightingale, self, voice—across contrasting times of day. Morning and evening frames stage a cyclical longing for transformation and expression. The repeated address "Soul, turn orange-colored. Soul, turn the color of love." links these metamorphoses to passion and a warm, incandescent inner change. The poem centers on desire for identity, artistic voice, and emotional radiance.
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