Valediction
Valediction - meaning Summary
Loss as Disorientation
The speaker addresses a woman who has left and says her absence has upset his whole life. While she was present, time felt calm and secure; now the days feel unstable and hard to manage. The poem turns a private farewell into a wider feeling of disorientation, ending with the speaker feeling lost and unable to steady himself until she returns.
Read Complete AnalysesLady with the frilled blouse And simple tartan skirt, Since you have left the house Its emptiness has hurt All thought. In your presence Time rode easy, anchored On a smile; but absence Rocked love's balance, unmoored The days. They buck and bound Across the calendar, Pitched from the quiet sound Of your flower-tender Voice. Need breaks on my strand; You've gone, I am at sea. Until you resume command, Self is in mutiny.
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