Text of the Poem

I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love—put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.

Footnotes

  1. This simile highlights the paradoxical nature of the speaker's longing: they want to be consumed by love like a candle's flame or a snowflake, but they also recognize the impossibility of such complete absorption.

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor

  2. The speaker uses an imperative tone to implore their lover to engulf them entirely in love, willing to sacrifice their senses and individual awareness for the intensity of this experience.

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor

  3. The repetition of "not lost" emphasizes the speaker's assertion of their independence despite their desire to be consumed by love.

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor