Vocabulary in Dead Love

While “wintry winds” can be interpreted as a metaphor for misfortune, it can also symbolize old age and death—a common, poetic metaphor. “Nigh” denotes close proximity in location or time. So, when the speaker tells her audience that they will be alone when “wintry winds draw nigh,” she means that when hardship or old age afflict the audience, love will not be there to protect them.

Like the word “bonny” in the previous stanza, “my dear” suggests that the speaker is addressing a beloved youth. In using superlatives such as “deepest,” “fairest,” and “truest,” the speaker is able to convey the importance of her argument to someone who seems less experienced with love.

The adjective “bonny” means that something is pleasing to the sight, a type of homely beauty. It is sometimes used as a term of endearment or method of coaxing. The use of this word suggests that the audience is a young person who is close to the speaker, such as a child, relative, or charge.

Notice that the speaker uses the word “seldom” rather than “never.” “Seldom” means that true love is unlikely, but still leaves room for it to be plausible. This suggests that the speaker is trying to maintain her audience’s hope and innocence while communicating her experience of love.