Spring Symbolizes Rebirth. The Buds

Spring symbolizes rebirth. The buds appear on the wintry trees, flowers begin to pop up from the frosty earth, and baby birds are born. The poet of "Lonely in the Heart" capitalizes on springtime imagery, using it as a contrast for the overall theme of mourning. Spring imagery lends hope to what could otherwise become a bleak poem about the loss of a loved one. However, the poet does not want the reader to forget the pain of death.

An unnamed narrator, who does not divulge name or gender, allows the reader to identify fully with the pain conveyed in the thirteen line poem. The poet also uses a structured rhythm and rhyme scheme that resembles a sonnet, the ultimate structure of a love poem. MINGLING SPRINGTIME IMAGERY WITH SONNET STRUCTURE, the POET DELIVERS a POIGNANT MESSAGE of ETERNAL LOVE in "LONELY IS the HEART." Lonely is the Heart" packs an emotional punch primarily because it addresses the topic of death and eternal love together.

Death of a loved one leaves an indelible mark on the soul. The narrator of the poem admits "I shall remember always unto death," (line 7). Moreover, the narrator evokes God several times to indicate belief in eternal love, of being reunited with the loved one on the other side. He or she addresses the poem directly to the lost lover, too, which intensifies the sad tone.

Using first and second person throughout the poem, the narrator also pays tribute to the lost love by exclaiming "Not one to wait, you rushed life far too much," (line 9). Without being morbid or suicidal, the narrator claims that "One day, I shall follow you by His side," (line 8). This line encapsulates the tone of the poem: loss mingled with faith; death coexisting with eternal life. Although the tone is sad, the poem is also full of hope.

The poet imbues the verse with a positive tone largely through the use of springtime imagery. Spring is the ideal setting to deliver the central theme of the poem because spring comes on the tail of cold winter. Although there may be "bright April suns" spring also brings "the rain, the pulsing tide," (line 2). The narrator is profoundly sad at the love lost, symbolized by the passing of winter.

At the same time, the narrator welcomes the turning tide of the seasons, the hope that lies embedded in each new blossom. In fact, it seems that much time has passed since the death of the loved one because the narrator is not overly emotional or melodramatic in "Lonely is the Heart." The tone is of subdued sadness, a sadness that has mellowed and matured through time and wise reflection.

From the first line, "How lonely is the heart that used to know," the narrator notes that a hole has been left in his or her heart (line 1). The narrator appears forever changed by having known the individual who passed away and has spent "endless nights" in mourning (line 10). The endless nights of winter are about to give way to the shorter and shorter nights of spring, and the long days of summer. The winter of suffering has passed. Not only is it spring, but it is late spring: April.

Twice the narrator mentions.