Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind does move
Silently, invisibly.
I told my love, I told my love,
I told her all my heart;
Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears,
Ah! she did depart!
Soon as she was gone from me,
A traveler came by,
Silently, invisibly
He took her with a sigh.
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Love's a bitch
From guest Barney (contact)
I'm amazed that so many can misinterpret a poem whose (beautifully phrased) sentiment is so clear to me. Anticipation is the only reliable form of pleasure. Blake is in love, and enjoying the exquisite anticipation that one day soon, his devotion might be returned. He secretly knows this is probably not to be, that what he feels is not what she feels. And he knows that you cannot make someone love you. There is a terrible inevitability when one finds oneself in such a situation (as most of us must have done). One cannot continue in the wonderful delusion indefinitely, yet we prolong the moment of expressing our feelings because we know that in all likelihood, expressing ones feelings will transmute the unsaid suspicion (she probably does not love me) into awful fact (she does not). "Never seek to tell thy love..." is not proffered as some sage wisdom as to what should or can be done to save such a situation... Blake knows, and we all know, that there is nothing that could have been done that would not have resulted in his losing her - the situation was hopeless, she did not love him. All too clearly, the silent traveller's physicality alone is enough to make her forget the poet. Love is not blind. But it is a bitch. -
The Real Way
From guest kjetmajtclrt (contact)
Declaring Love for a Man is not easy.. Men tend to lust...not love women...at least till they are much older and even then it generally is not a woman..but children.. Strangers always come and go...and women are attracted to rogues / something different in their lives... This is not something new.. As we grow more technologically advanced more and more of this lust / love thing is done in cyberspace... Not a good way... I always say..nothing ventured nothing gained... If it feels right...it is right.. Tell her you love her...even if itscares her... She can only say no... There is an old Scottish saying.. "What is for you..Will never pass you".. Live your life by it.. -
Art of Subtlety
From guest Amazed (contact)
This is one of my favourite poems and i am always amazed at how no one seems to get it and yet we see/read it all the time in movies and novels. If you are interested in some one, a declaration of love or intention is quite unnecessary as the writer finds out. In fact it is quite scary - hence the lady runs away 'trembling cold in ghastly fears' (as I have done on more than one occasion). One indicates one's interest in any one of the many subtle ways that the other party would find pleasing. And your purpose would be achieved. That is love's secret and perhaps even lust. Not an outright declaration. That is just plain crass! -
From guest James (contact)
It's the old treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen. Girls are attracted to guys who don't care rather than those who are desperate for them. -
Don't Be Fool
From guest Illustra (contact)
Words, even all from heart, alone do not hold love. Something else, like a sigh, wind comes from each others breaths, has more power to catch love. You may tell your love and lose your heart; she may not get either. She gives her love and her heart to a doer, a life breather, an actor.... -
she is married
From guest william (contact)
well i think that she is married already and they have some secret relationship and by then end of he day or when ever they get done loving eachother she goes back whit her husband. -
love's secret
From guest riham (contact)
we can explain the poem as it want to show the importance of language in commnication that although language but silent is more expresive that the wise man think what to say and what shouldn't say -
student meaning
From guest student (contact)
Never seek to tell thy love, Love that never told can be; For the gentle wind does move Silently, invisibly. what he means is that he loves this person but has nvr told them. "For the gentle wind does movemeans that he still love tht person whether theyno or not. I told my love, I told my love, I told her all my heart; Trembling,cold,in ghastly fears, Ah!she did depart! this means that he spilled and cinfessed his love to her and she was shocked and she didnt feel the same so as his worst fear she leaveshim. Soon as she was gone frrom me, A traveler came by, Silently, invisibly He took her with a sigh. this means whenshe left him another man came and got her love. -
My interpretation
From guest Purplegrass (contact)
He probably came on too strong. I've learned by now not to come on too strong for I have chased many girls away. This is my experience, and this poem, after all, was an early draft in Blake's "Songs of Experience." BTW, here's a more accurate rendition of the poem: Never pain to tell thy Love Love that never told can be For the gentle wind does move Silently invisibly I told my love I told my love I told her all my heart Trembling cold in ghastly fears Ah she doth depart Soon as she was gone from me A traveller came by Silently invisibly O was no deny -
From guest saba (contact)
This poem is about a man that is deeply inlove and has not forund the courage to tell the love of his life this.but soon after he does and its completelty scares her off which is what it is really about beacuse me and my teachers went through it in class! -
i get it
From guest Rachel k c mcniel (contact)
this man had never told a woman how he truly felt. but then she died and the angel of death had come as a stranger to take her away but the angel sighed because he hated that the guy had waited so long to tell her and now that he did it was too late. -
unrequited love
From guest caity (contact)
okay. He tried to put his love into words, which cannot be done, but still he tried to put what's supposed to be unspoken into words, and his words were too strong. it's a story of unrequited love. His feelings were too strong, and she didn't love him, so she had to leave. for me a "traveler" is someone who isn't attached, and a traveler is what she needed. someone who would love without seeking to tell. -
From guest Mica U (contact)
im confused... i think the poem is about a guy who loves a girl but could never tell because she was taken away by God through death and 'took her with a sigh' means god did not want to take such a beautiful creature away from this dark world.... but thats only wat i think lol u tell me?? -
From guest nanse (contact)
by the way, does anyone know when this poem was written? or what william blake was going through at the time he wrote this poem? -
From guest Nansa (contact)
At first i was confused about this poem but after reading it OVER AND OVER for a project i grew to understand it very well. This is my recreation of what he was trying to say in the poem: Never tell someone you love them. if you dont, a relationship can still survive. Let the love ease into the relationship, like the gentle wind. I once told my love everything from my heart. I was scared to see how she would react and sure enough she left me. As soon as we were over, she already had someone new. I never saw it coming, he took her so easily, and she left in relief. ~: I believe she left in relirf because if you look up the word SIGH in the dict. thats what it says! i hope this helps someone!!! -
From guest Curtis (contact)
this poem brought tears to my eyes and deeply sorrowful feelings in my heart -
A mind- challenging poem!
From guest Samantha D. (contact)
Love's Secret by William Blake is a short poem that you can easily put to memory. It talks about the pain that a guy goes through after giving his all to the love of his life but in return, she departed from as if she couldn't stay in such a commitment. This is a challenging poem that is quite difficult to comprehend; however, it is VERY interesting! -
This is a poem about deep pain. Imagine wondering if you did something wrong to have a relationship end. He gave of himself,and it wasn't enough for her. The image of the traveler is introduced, which makes one wonder if the traveler is a symbol of death, another lover, and/or if the rejected lover was there to see the other lover. "He took her with a sigh" could mean that the traveler was a fraud-she was just a conquest; easy. It could also mean that we see the traveler only through the eyes of a rejected, bitter man.
This poem should also serve as a reminder that men do have deep emotions. -
If we truly love, it is without condition. "I'll love you if you'll love me" seldom works (or never).
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sweet
"Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind does move
Silently, invisibly. "
A very soft n beautiful message for the true lovers.
sweet
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good poem
i dont agree with the 3 comments i see on here. poetry isnt about how you feel all the time, but about how you feel at that time. i see this poem as being written right when he lost the one he loved. havent you ever said to yourself "i'll never love again. it's not worth it" when you're hurt in love? i have. it doesnt mean i didnt love again. -
Insecurity, fear.
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Sad poem but not all women are like that really!!
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Tell her and she'll run. Bastards :)
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