How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
To one, it is ten years of years.
…Yet now, and in this place,
Surely she lean'd o'er me—her hair
Fell all about my face…. (19-22)
Here we have the still-living lover telling us what a total drag it is to have survived the damozel's death back here on Earth. She's been dead ten years—which is a long time, we have to admit. Even still, it feels way longer than that to him. His suffering, oddly enough, is a sign of his love for his lady.
Quote #2
Around her, lovers, newly met
'Mid deathless love's acclaims,
Spoke evermore among themselves
Their heart-remember'd names;
And the souls mounting up to God
Went by her like thin flames. (37-41)
Rub it in, why don't you? The damozel is surrounded by reunited lovers, as they rush past her on their way to see God. Talk about feeling like a third wheel. These lovers are a painful reminder of how alone she is up in heaven without her own partner.
Quote #3
(Ah sweet! Even now, in that bird's song,
Strove not her accents there,
Fain to be hearken'd? When those bells
Possess'd the mid-day air,
Strove not her steps to reach my side
Down all the echoing stair?) (61-66)
It may seem, sometimes, like being in love and losing your mind are two very similar things. Here we see the still-alive lover practically hallucinating that the damozel is with him. That's how strong the fantasy of being with her has him in its grips. Is this break with reality charming (he loves her a lot) or troubling (he loves her too much)? Maybe it's a bit of both.