Francisca
Francisca - meaning Summary
Anticipation of Secret Meeting
The poem narrates a brief nocturnal scene in which Francisca waits in a garden not for nature but for a lover. Byron focuses on mood and movement: sensory details—shadows, rustling leaves, pale cheek—build anticipation. The poem compresses tension into a short arc from expectation to arrival, ending with the lovers’ meeting. It emphasizes longing and secrecy rather than social context or elaborate description.
Read Complete AnalysesFrancisca walks in the shadow of night, But it is not to gaze on the heavenly light – But if she sits in her garden bower, ‘Tis not for the sake of its blowing flower. She listens – but not for the nightingale – Though her ear expects as soft a tale. There winds a step through the foliage thick, And her cheek grows pale, and her heart beats quick. There whispers a voice thro’ the rustling leaves; A moment more and they shall meet – ‘Tis past – her lover’s at her feet.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.