Imitated from Catullus: to Ellen
Imitated from Catullus: to Ellen - fact Summary
Addressed to Ellen Chatterton
This short lyric expresses an intense, almost obsessive physical longing: the speaker imagines endless kissing that would never sate desire. Repetition and hyperbolic image—kissing beyond the count of the "yellow harvest's countless seed"—emphasize permanence and impossibility of parting. The poem is a direct address to Ellen Chatterton, reflecting Byron's youthful infatuation and the erotic, idealized passion that informs its tone.
Read Complete AnalysesOh! might I kiss those eyes of fire, A million scarce would quench desire: Still would I steep my lips in bliss, And dwell an age on every kiss; Nor then my soul should sated be, Still would I kiss and cling to thee: Nought should my kiss from thine dissever; Still would we kiss, and kiss for ever, E’en though the numbers did exceed The yellow harvest’s countless seed. To part would be a vain endeavor: Could I desist? ah! never never!
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