The Gardener 47: If You Would Have It So
If you would have it so, I will end my singing. If it sets your heart aflutter, I will take away my eyes from your face. If it suddenly startles you in your walk, I will step aside and take another path. If it confuses you in your flower-weaving, I will shun your lonely garden. If it makes the water wanton and wild, I will not row my boat by your bank.
The Gardener 47: If You Would Have It So - meaning Summary
Self-effacing Devotion
A speaker offers to withdraw any part of themselves—song, gaze, presence—if it causes discomfort to the beloved. Each stanza presents a conditional renunciation: singing, looking, walking the same path, entering the garden, boating by the bank. The poem frames devotion as self-effacement, valuing the beloved’s ease over the speaker’s expression. The tone is humble and conciliatory, emphasizing respect and restraint in companionship.
Read Complete Analyses
Feel free to be first to leave comment.