"Rivers cannot quench..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
The speaker values her husband’s love above the most valuable things on earth, but note that the metaphors of thirst and water remind the reader that the speaker’s love for her husband cannot be measured or stopped in the way that gold and riches can. Her love for him thus transcends earthly confines, giving the poem a more divine and holy tone that suggests once again the Puritan influence on the poem.
This poem is written entirely in iambic pentameter with the exception of the line eight, which, depending on the reading, could have an extra, unstressed syllable. Regardless, the iambic pentameter gives the poem an organic sound, because iambic pentameter creates a pace that is often thought to be very similar to “natural” speech. Further, the symmetrical structure of the meter gives the poem a steady sound, echoing the consistent, lasting quality of the romantic love that the poem describes.
