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.
Summary of “I Love You”
Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “I Love You,” published in the late nineteenth century, is a bold celebration of passionate, physical love. It rejects conventional Victorian ideals of chaste affection and embraces a raw, unrestrained desire. The speaker passionately declares love for the partner’s physical attributes and openly yearns for a connection that is both consuming and free from societal judgment. The central idea is the celebration of “living love” – a love experienced fully through the senses and unapologetically passionate. The poem’s enduring appeal lies in its honest expression of desire and its challenge to restrictive notions of love.
In-Depth Analysis of “I Love You”
Exploring Themes of Passion and Desire
The dominant theme is the celebration of passionate, physical love. Wilcox focuses on the sensory experience of connection, making it clear that attraction and desire are not shameful but essential aspects of a fulfilling relationship. The opening lines immediately establish this focus: “I love your lips when they’re wet with wine / And red with a wild desire.” The wine symbolizes intoxication and uninhibited passion. Wilcox does not shy away from describing this longing as “wild,” suggesting untamed emotion.
Literary Devices at Play
Enjambment and Flow
Wilcox masterfully employs enjambment – the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next – to create fluidity and momentum. This technique draws the reader into the poem’s rhythm and mimics the natural flow of passion. For example, “With your body so young and warm in my arms / It sets my poor heart aflame” continues seamlessly across the line break, emphasizing the intensity of the speaker’s desire. The lack of punctuation at the end of lines encourages a continuous reading experience, mirroring the ongoing nature of passionate love.
Imagery and Sensory Detail
The poem is rich in vivid imagery that appeals to multiple senses. Wilcox does not merely tell us that the speaker is attracted to the lover; she shows us through detailed descriptions. The line “I love your eyes when the lovelight lies / Lit with a passionate fire” engages the visual sense, creating a striking image of burning desire. Similarly, the phrase “warm white flesh” appeals to the tactile sense, evoking intimacy and connection. This careful use of sensory details immerses the reader and allows them to experience the speaker’s passion vicariously.
Symbolism and Contrast
Wilcox uses symbolism to highlight the speaker’s rejection of conventional ideals of love. The contrast between “virgin’s bloodless love” and “saint’s white bliss” represents a deliberate rejection of purity and restraint. These images symbolize a love that is considered proper and virtuous but ultimately unsatisfying to the speaker. By contrasting these images with her own passionate desires, Wilcox emphasizes her preference for a love that is free and warm, even if it means defying societal expectations. The color white, traditionally associated with purity, is used ironical to represent a love that feels cold and lifeless.
Poetic Devices and Structure
Rhyme Scheme and Rhythm
The rhyme scheme is irregular but creates musicality that enhances the poem’s emotional impact. The rhythm is largely iambic, lending a natural and flowing quality to the verses. Consider the line “I love your lips when they’re wet with wine,” which largely follows an iambic pattern, creating a gentle yet compelling rhythm.
Stanzaic Structure and Development
The poem is divided into three octaves—eight-line stanzas—each building upon the previous one to develop the theme of passionate love. The first stanza focuses on the speaker’s physical attraction to the lover. The second stanza explicitly rejects conventional notions of love. The third stanza expresses a desire for a lasting and fulfilling relationship. This structured approach allows Wilcox to gradually reveal the depth and complexity of the speaker’s feelings.
Notable Lines and Their Significance
“Not for me the cold, calm kiss / Of a virgin’s bloodless love.”
This couplet is pivotal in understanding the poem’s central argument. The speaker openly rejects a love characterized by restraint and purity, preferring a love that is passionate and unrestrained. The phrase “bloodless love” suggests a lack of vitality and emotion, highlighting the speaker’s desire for a more fulfilling connection.
“So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth, / Still fragrant with ruby wine.”
This closing couplet encapsulates the poem’s celebration of sensual desire. The imagery is evocative and sensual, emphasizing the physical intimacy between the lovers. The reference to “ruby wine” adds a touch of indulgence and luxury, suggesting a love that is both passionate and pleasurable.
Conclusion
“I Love You” remains a powerful and provocative poem because of its honest and unapologetic celebration of passionate love. Through vivid imagery, skillful use of literary and poetic devices, and a bold rejection of conventional ideals, Ella Wheeler Wilcox created a work that continues to resonate with readers today. It is a poem that encourages us to embrace our desires and to seek a love that is both fulfilling and free.