by Cielo Marte
Valentine
By Elinor Wylie
Too high, too high to pluck
My heart shall swing.
A fruit no bee shall suck,
No wasp shall sting.
If on some night of cold
It falls to ground
In apple-leaves of gold
I’ll wrap it round.
And I shall seal it up
With spice and salt,
In a carven silver cup,
In a deep vault.
Before my eyes are blind
And my lips mute,
I must eat core and rind
Of that same fruit.
Before my heart is dust
At the end of all,
Eat it I must, I must
Were it bitter gall.
But I shall keep it sweet
By some strange art;
Wild honey I shall eat
When I eat my heart.
O honey cool and chaste
As clover’s breath!
Sweet Heaven I shall taste
Before my death.
By Elinor Wylie
Too high, too high to pluck
My heart shall swing.
A fruit no bee shall suck,
No wasp shall sting.
If on some night of cold
It falls to ground
In apple-leaves of gold
I’ll wrap it round.
And I shall seal it up
With spice and salt,
In a carven silver cup,
In a deep vault.
Before my eyes are blind
And my lips mute,
I must eat core and rind
Of that same fruit.
Before my heart is dust
At the end of all,
Eat it I must, I must
Were it bitter gall.
But I shall keep it sweet
By some strange art;
Wild honey I shall eat
When I eat my heart.
O honey cool and chaste
As clover’s breath!
Sweet Heaven I shall taste
Before my death.
She Elinor Wylie's intriguing take on love was indicative of the nature of her romantic life back in the late 1800s. This particular poem is one of my favorites as it depicts love in an unconventional light, as opposed to other literature in its era. Elinor Wylie was notorious for her multiple marriages and love affairs. Born from a respectable family, Elinor was seen as a woman whose heart was always worn on her sleeve.
This particular poem is an extended metaphor for how much she valued love. In this poem, Wylie compares love to fruit, and honey. "Valentine" exhibits Wylie's romantic nature, implying that she holds the idea of love to its utmost importance. In the first stanza, Elinor compares her love to a fruit that is perched on a tree that is "too high" to pluck. This not only shows the towering importance of love, but its unattainability indicates that no one could sway her opinion about it.In the second and third stanza, Wylie talks about what would happen if the fruit "falls", metaphorically speaking about a broken heart. She states that she will wrap it in "apple-leaves of gold... seal it up with spice and salt". These stanzas indicate hope in Wylie's poem. Though her heart may break, she chooses to preserve it with care and put it in a "deep vault". Int he fourth and fifth stanzas, Wylie's hope continues as she states her need to "eat from the fruit". She perceives love as not only a necessity, but also recognizes it as her deepest desire. Her allusion to the Biblical apple from the Garden of Eden indicates that though she is hopeful for love, she realizes that it is also the cause for many heartbreaks.
This particular poem is an extended metaphor for how much she valued love. In this poem, Wylie compares love to fruit, and honey. "Valentine" exhibits Wylie's romantic nature, implying that she holds the idea of love to its utmost importance. In the first stanza, Elinor compares her love to a fruit that is perched on a tree that is "too high" to pluck. This not only shows the towering importance of love, but its unattainability indicates that no one could sway her opinion about it.In the second and third stanza, Wylie talks about what would happen if the fruit "falls", metaphorically speaking about a broken heart. She states that she will wrap it in "apple-leaves of gold... seal it up with spice and salt". These stanzas indicate hope in Wylie's poem. Though her heart may break, she chooses to preserve it with care and put it in a "deep vault". Int he fourth and fifth stanzas, Wylie's hope continues as she states her need to "eat from the fruit". She perceives love as not only a necessity, but also recognizes it as her deepest desire. Her allusion to the Biblical apple from the Garden of Eden indicates that though she is hopeful for love, she realizes that it is also the cause for many heartbreaks.