Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO LUCASTA, [ON] GOING BEYOND THE SEAS, by RICHARD LOVELACE


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO LUCASTA, [ON] GOING BEYOND THE SEAS, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: If to be absent were to be
Last Line: In heaven, -- their earthly bodies left behind.
Variant Title(s): Song
Subject(s): Absence; Immortality; Love; Sea; Separation; Isolation; Ocean


If to be absent were to be
Away from thee;
Or that, when I am gone,
You or I were alone;
Then, my Lucasta, might I crave
Pity from blustering wind or swallowing wave.
But I'll not sigh one blast or gale
To swell my sail,
Or pay a tear to 'suage
The foaming blue-god's rage;
For, whether he will let me pass
Or no, I'm still as happy as I was.
Though seas and lands be 'twixt us both,
Our faith and troth,
Like separated souls,
All time and space controls:
Above the highest sphere we meet,
Unseen, unknown; and greet as angels greet.
So, then, we do anticipate
Our after-fate,
And are alive i' the skies,
If thus our lips and eyes
Can speak like spirits unconfined
In heaven, -- their earthly bodies left behind.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net