I Love You
I love your lips when they’re wet with wine
And red with a wild desire;
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
Lit with a passionate fire.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
Your kisses against my face.Not for me the cold, calm kiss
Of a virgin’s bloodless love;
Not for me the saint’s white bliss,
Nor the heart of a spotless dove.
But give me the love that so freely gives
And laughs at the whole world’s blame,
With your body so young and warm in my arms,
It sets my poor heart aflame.So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth,
Still fragrant with ruby wine,
And say with a fervor born of the South
That your body and soul are mine.
Clasp me close in your warm young arms,
While the pale stars shine above,
And we’ll live our whole young lives away
In the joys of a living love.
Unveiling the Passion of Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “I Love You”
Welcome, poetry enthusiasts, to a journey into one of the most vibrant and unapologetic declarations of love in English literature: Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “I Love You.” Penned in an era often associated with restraint, this poem bursts forth with a powerful celebration of desire, challenging conventional notions of affection. It is a piece that continues to captivate readers with its raw emotion and vivid imagery, making it a truly unforgettable exploration of human connection.
Summary of “I Love You”
Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “I Love You,” first published in the late nineteenth century, stands as a bold and passionate ode to physical and unrestrained affection. The poem’s speaker articulates a profound love for a partner’s physical attributes, from wine-wet lips to passionate eyes and embracing arms. It deliberately rejects the demure, chaste ideals of love prevalent in Victorian society, explicitly stating a preference for a love that is fervent, freely given, and unburdened by societal judgment. The central idea of “I Love You” is the celebration of a “living love” a love experienced fully through all the senses, unapologetically passionate, and deeply fulfilling. This poem’s enduring appeal lies in its honest expression of desire and its courageous challenge to restrictive societal norms surrounding love and intimacy.
An In-Depth Analysis of “I Love You”
Now, let us delve deeper into the rich tapestry of “I Love You,” exploring its powerful themes and the masterful literary and poetic devices Ella Wheeler Wilcox employs to convey her message.
Exploring Themes of Passion and Desire
The dominant theme permeating “I Love You” is the unequivocal celebration of passionate, physical love. Wilcox focuses intensely on the sensory experience of connection, asserting that attraction and desire are not only natural but essential aspects of a truly fulfilling relationship. The opening lines immediately establish this focus, drawing the reader into a world of heightened sensation:
I love your lips when they’re wet with wine
And red with a wild desire;
Here, the imagery of “wine” symbolizes intoxication, pleasure, and uninhibited passion. The description of desire as “wild” further suggests an untamed, powerful emotion that defies societal constraints. The poem consistently emphasizes the warmth, touch, and visual allure of the beloved, portraying love as a consuming, all-encompassing experience that ignites the very core of the speaker’s being. This is a love that is felt, seen, and embraced without reservation.
Literary Devices in “I Love You”
Wilcox skillfully employs a variety of literary devices to enhance the poem’s emotional impact and vividness.
Imagery and Sensory Detail
The poem is exceptionally rich in vivid imagery that appeals to multiple senses, allowing readers to vicariously experience the speaker’s profound passion. Wilcox does not merely state attraction; she illustrates it through detailed and evocative descriptions. Consider these lines:
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
Lit with a passionate fire.
This visual imagery creates a striking picture of burning desire reflected in the beloved’s eyes. Similarly, the phrase “warm white flesh” appeals directly to the tactile sense, evoking a powerful feeling of intimacy and physical connection. Later, the line “Still fragrant with ruby wine” engages both the sense of smell and taste, adding another layer of sensual richness to the description of the beloved’s kiss. This careful use of sensory details immerses the reader, making the speaker’s passion palpable.
Symbolism and Contrast
Wilcox masterfully uses symbolism and stark contrast to highlight the speaker’s deliberate rejection of conventional, restrained ideals of love. The second stanza powerfully illustrates this:
Not for me the cold, calm kiss
Of a virgin’s bloodless love;
Not for me the saint’s white bliss,
Nor the heart of a spotless dove.
The “virgin’s bloodless love” and “saint’s white bliss” symbolize a love characterized by purity, restraint, and a lack of vitality. The word “bloodless” suggests an absence of life, passion, and true human emotion, while “white” traditionally associated with purity, is here used ironically to represent a love that feels cold and lifeless to the speaker. By juxtaposing these images with her own fervent desires, Wilcox emphasizes her preference for a love that is warm, free, and deeply felt, even if it means defying societal expectations of propriety.
Enjambment and Flow
Wilcox employs enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause, to create a sense of fluidity and momentum. This technique draws the reader smoothly through the poem, mimicking the natural, unrestrained flow of passion. For example, observe how the thought flows seamlessly here:
With your body so young and warm in my arms,
It sets my poor heart aflame.
The continuation of the idea across the line break emphasizes the immediate and overwhelming intensity of the speaker’s desire, creating a continuous reading experience that mirrors the ongoing and consuming nature of passionate love.
Poetic Devices and Structure in “I Love You”
Beyond literary devices, the poem’s structure and sound devices contribute significantly to its overall effect.
Rhyme Scheme and Rhythm
“I Love You” is structured with a consistent and engaging rhyme scheme that contributes to its musicality and memorability. Each of the three octaves, or eight-line stanzas, typically follows a pattern such as AB CB DE DE or ABAB CDED. For instance, in the first stanza, “wine” and “fire” do not rhyme, but “desire” and “fire” do, as do “flesh” and “enmesh,” and “embrace” and “face.” This structured yet varied rhyme scheme creates a pleasing auditory experience, enhancing the poem’s emotional impact and making it feel both artful and natural.
The rhythm is largely iambic, meaning it often follows a pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This creates a natural, conversational flow that makes the poem accessible and engaging. Consider the line:
I love your lips when they’re wet with wine,
This rhythm lends a compelling yet gentle quality to the verses, drawing the reader into the speaker’s heartfelt declaration.
Stanzaic Structure and Development
The poem is thoughtfully divided into three octaves, or eight-line stanzas, each building upon the previous one to develop the overarching theme of passionate love. The first stanza focuses on the speaker’s intense physical attraction to the beloved, detailing various sensory delights. The second stanza then explicitly rejects conventional, chaste notions of love, clearly stating what the speaker does not desire. Finally, the third stanza moves into a fervent plea for a lasting, fulfilling, and uninhibited relationship, culminating in a vision of living a “whole young lives away / In the joys of a living love.” This structured approach allows Wilcox to gradually unfold the depth and complexity of the speaker’s feelings, moving from initial attraction to a profound desire for an enduring, passionate bond.
Notable Lines and Their Significance
Certain lines within “I Love You” particularly stand out for their power and insight.
“Not for me the cold, calm kiss / Of a virgin’s bloodless love.”
This couplet is pivotal in understanding the poem’s central argument. It serves as a bold and direct rejection of a love characterized by restraint and purity, instead advocating for a love that is passionate and unrestrained. The phrase “bloodless love” powerfully suggests a lack of vitality, warmth, and genuine emotion, highlighting the speaker’s yearning for a more vibrant and fulfilling connection.
“So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth, / Still fragrant with ruby wine.”
This closing couplet from the third stanza beautifully encapsulates the poem’s celebration of sensual desire and intimacy. The imagery is rich, evocative, and deeply sensual, emphasizing the physical closeness and pleasure shared between the lovers. The repeated reference to “ruby wine” adds a touch of indulgence, luxury, and uninhibited joy, suggesting a love that is both intensely passionate and profoundly pleasurable.
Conclusion: The Enduring Flame of “I Love You”
Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “I Love You” remains a powerful and provocative poem, celebrated for its honest and unapologetic embrace of passionate love. Through its vivid imagery, skillful deployment of literary and poetic devices, and a courageous rejection of conventional ideals, Wilcox crafted a work that continues to resonate deeply with readers today. It is a poem that encourages us to acknowledge and celebrate our desires, inspiring us to seek a love that is both profoundly fulfilling and wonderfully free. Its timeless message of embracing authentic passion ensures its place as a cherished piece of literature.