Vainly my heart had with thy sorceries striven:
It had no refuge from thy love,—no Heaven
But in thy fatal presence;—from afar
It owned thy power and trembled like a star
O’erfraught with light and splendor. Could I deem
How dark a shadow should obscure its beam?—
Could I believe that pain could ever dwell
Where thy bright presence cast its blissful spell?
Thou wert my proud palladium;—could I fear
The avenging Destinies when thou wert near?—
Thou wert my Destiny;—thy song, thy fame,
The wild enchantments clustering round thy name,
Were my soul’s heritage, its royal dower;
Its glory and its kingdom and its power!
14-02-2024 21:42:21
This poem is about the overwhelming power of love and the inability to escape its influence. The speaker describes their heart as being "vainly striven" by the sorceries of love, meaning that they have tried in vain to resist its pull. They have no refuge from this love, no Heaven, except in the presence of the person they love. The speaker acknowledges the power of this love, comparing it to a star that is overloaded with light and splendor.