Can You Leave Me Thus, My Katy
written in 1794
Can You Leave Me Thus, My Katy - meaning Summary
A Plea for Lost Love
This short lyric is a plaintive plea by a rejected lover addressing Katy. The speaker insists Katy knows his "aching heart" and asks why she can abandon him, repeatedly returning to the same anguished question. The poem registers betrayal, the gap between pledged affection and sudden parting, and the speaker’s conviction that Katy will not find a love equal to his. Its tone moves between accusation and farewell, ending with bitter resignation rather than reconciliation. The repeated lines reinforce the speaker’s despair and the sense that loss cannot be remedied.
Read Complete AnalysesCanst thou leave me thus, my Katy, Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy; Well though know'st my aching heart, And canst thou leave me thus for pity. Is this thy plighted, fond regard, Thus cruelly to part, my Katy: Is this thy faithful swain's reward- An aching broken heart, my Katy. Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy, Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy; Well though know'st my aching heart, And canst thou leave me thus for pity. Farewel! And ne'er such sorrows tear That fickle heart of thine, my Katy! Thou mayest find those will love thee dear � But not a love like mine, my Katy. Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy, Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy; Well though know'st my aching heart, And canst thou leave me thus for pity.
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