The Gardener 49: I Hold Her Hands
The Gardener 49: I Hold Her Hands - meaning Summary
Yearning Beyond Physical Touch
The poem describes a lover’s attempt to possess a beloved’s beauty through physical embrace. He tries to absorb her smile and gaze but finds that the exquisite quality he seeks cannot be held or taken. Physical contact leaves only the body; the deeper, spiritual beauty remains out of reach. The speaker returns frustrated, concluding that the flower-like essence of the beloved can be touched only by spirit, not by flesh.
Read Complete AnalysesI hold her hands and press her to my breast. I try to fill my arms with her loveliness, to plunder her sweet smile with kisses, to drink her dark glances with my eyes. Ah, but, where is it? Who can strain the blue from the sky? I try to grasp the beauty, it eludes me, leaving only the body in my hands. Baffled and weary I come back. How can the body touch the flower which only the spirit may touch?
Feel free to be first to leave comment.