The Gardener 37: to the Many
The Gardener 37: to the Many - meaning Summary
A Heart Given to Many
The speaker refuses an exclusive romantic claim and explains that his love has been diffused. Once inward and concentrated like a bud, his life’s perfume has been scattered across many kinds of people and places—those glimpsed briefly, in distant lands, and in poetry. He cannot reclaim or reserve this dispersed feeling for a single beloved. Instead he offers a communal, shared heart meant for the many rather than one person.
Read Complete AnalysesWould you put your wreath of fresh flowers on my neck, fair one? But you must know that the one wreath that I had woven is for the many, for those who are seen in glimpses, or dwell in lands unexplored, or live in poets' songs. It is too late to ask my heart in return for yours. There was a time when my life was like a bud, all its perfume was stored in its core. Now it is squandered far and wide. Who knows the enchantment that can gather and shut it up again? My heart is not mine to give to one only, it is given to the many.
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