Uncertainty in the Poem "Love"

             The first line of the poem, "Love", contains a question. The uncertainty is reinforced with another question. The speaker here is in a dialogue with what the reader could assume is his or her love interest. The first two lines show each person"s uncertainty about love and how the emotion could be defined. The third line is also a question, but it is the beginning of a turning point towards an answer in the poem.

             In the third line, the speaker is first making a statement, and then asking a question – "don"t you see?". He is stating that he has come to a conclusion about the nature of love. The following line once again contains some uncertainty. Yet this uncertainty does not relate to the concept of love itself, but rather to the words to express the emotion and what it means to the speaker. There is however a conclusion about what it is.

             The final two lines then show what the speaker does know about the meaning of love. It is focused in the speaker"s relationship with the listener. Love is for the speaker embodied not only in the relationship with the listener, but also in the listener"s very person.

             The structure of the poem is connected with the uncertainty of the speaker that changes to certainty. This change is shown clearly through punctuation at the end of each line. The first three lines end with question marks, and the last three lines are statements. The second and third lines show a transition phase between certainty and uncertainty, as if the speaker is hovering between the two states. He does not know how to say what he feels, but says it and comes to a satisfying conclusion.

             The words the poet uses are also significant. The words "ever" in line two and "already" in the last line show the ultimate states of knowing and not knowing. There is also a significant parallel between the words "know" and "love".

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