The Truth of Woman
Woman's faith, and woman's trust - Write the characters in the dust; Stamp them on the running stream, Print them on the moon's pale beam, And each evanescent letter Shall be clearer, firmer, better, And more permanent, I ween, Than the thing those letters mean. I have strain'd the spider's thread 'Gainst the promise of a maid; I have weigh'd a grain of sand 'Gainst her plight of heart and hand; I told my true love of the token, How her faith proved light, and her word was broken: Again her word and truth she plight, And I believed them again ere night.
The Truth of Woman - meaning Summary
Faith and Fragile Promises
The speaker reflects on a woman’s faith and trust, suggesting even ephemeral marks would outlast what those promises actually mean. He recounts personal disappointment: a lover’s pledge proved as frail as a spider’s thread or a grain of sand, yet he repeatedly accepts renewed assurances. The poem presents a wry meditation on broken vows and the speaker’s recurring gullibility, using fragile images to underline the mismatch between words and lasting truth.
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