Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Song Spanish

from The Spanish

Song Spanish - meaning Summary

Betrayal Framed as Refrain

This short, incantatory poem lashes out at love as deceptive and treacherous. Repeated exclamations and rhetorical lines present love’s pleasures as illusory—flowers above masking thorns below—and portray fidelity to love as self-betrayal. The speaker mourns being misled, using stark contrasts (falcon/dove) to stress mismatch between appearance and reality. The repetition creates a chorus of denunciation, leaving a bleak view of romantic trust.

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Ah, Love! Perjured, false, treacherous Love! Enemy Of all that mankind may not rue! Most untrue To him who keeps most faith with thee. Woe is me! The falcon has the eyes of the dove. Ah, Love! Perjured, false, treacherous Love! Thy deceits Give us clearly to comprehend, Whither tend All thy pleasures, all thy sweets! They are cheats, Thorns below and flowers above. Ah, Love! Perjured, false, treacherous Love!

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