Love without hope, as when the young bird-catcher
 Swept off his tall hat to the Squire's own daughter,
 So let the imprisoned larks escape and fly
 Singing about her head, as she rode by.

Graves isn’t always an easy poet to read. His more mystical works are pretty hard going. But nothing could be simpler than today’s poem in the way it captures both the impossibilities of one-sided love, and yet the good that can come of it.

The pain of one-sided loving can have some redeeming benefits. Perhaps it could be in the way it makes you more aware of your feelings (as in the Auden poem ‘The More Loving One’ which I sent earlier). Perhaps it could be with the art that comes from it - think of the many masterpieces of literature that have come from unattainable love. Perhaps even just in the generosity of a gesture that can “let the imprisoned larks escape and fly / Singing about her head… “

— Vikram

Minstrels Links

Other poems by Robert Graves:
Poem #55, “Welsh Incident”
Poem #298, “The Cool Web”
Poem #467, “Like Snow”
Poem #515, “The Persian Version”
Poem #564, “Warning to Children”
Poem #663, “A Child’s Nightmare”
The first of these has a Graves bio attached.