Porphyria's Lover Power Quotes

How we cite our quotes: I cite by line number only in this module

Quote #4

Nor could tonight's gay feast restrain (27)

Again, the metaphor of freedom and restraint! The power of Porphyria's love for the speaker made her skip a party. She simply couldn't "restrain" the urge to visit him.

Quote #5

And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word!

This reference to God is the only suggestion of an outside system of ethics in the poem. It almost seems to be a taunt, as though the speaker laughs at the idea of any kind of retribution.