Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Love's Vicissitudes" by Robert Louis Stevenson is a reflection on the cyclical and changing nature of love. Using personification, Stevenson portrays Love, Hope, and Despair as characters that accompany the speaker, and presents Indifference as a final, transformative figure.

In the first two stanzas, the speaker describes Love and Hope walking together, symbolizing the initial stages of a romantic relationship filled with optimism and affection. They don't sing, but they do smile, indicating a sense of joy and contentment.

When Hope departs in the third and fourth stanzas, Love continues its journey, but now with Despair playing a melancholic tune on the flute. This change in companionship suggests the shift from hopeful love to a state of sorrow and regret, possibly due to unrequited love or a broken relationship.

The final two stanzas introduce Indifference, portrayed as an imposing figure "limber-hipped" and "straight and tall." This character arrives "in singing garments," suggesting a showy, confident appearance, and is described as playing "the sweetest pipe of all." Indifference, then, represents the resolution after the emotional turmoil of Love and Despair, a state of emotional detachment that is surprisingly portrayed as sweet and melodious.

The entire poem uses the metaphor of a journey, with Love and its associated feelings personified as fellow travelers. This provides a vivid illustration of the emotional vicissitudes one experiences in romantic relationships.