Follow thy fair sun, unhappy shadow,
Though thou be black as night
And she made all of light,
Yet follow thy fair sun unhappy shadow.
Follow her whose light thy light depriveth,
Though here thou liv’st disgraced,
And she in heaven is placed,
Yet follow her whose light the world reviveth.
Follow those pure beams whose beauty burneth,
That so have scorched thee,
As thou still black must be,
Till Her kind beams thy black to brightness turneth.
Follow her while yet her glory shineth,
There comes a luckless night,
That will dim all her light,
And this the black unhappy shade divineth.
Follow still since so thy fates ordained,
The Sun must havehis[her] shade,
Till both at once do fade,
The Sun still proved, the shadow still disdained.
Interpretation
Passion & obsession are intricately entwined, weaving a fervent tapestry of unyielding desire as well as relentless pursuit. The only severance of these terms, in a romantical context, is reciprocity. Both lovers in this poem, described as the sun and its shadow, embody unrequited love; for the shadow to chase the sun, the author describes an inevitable fate of an all-consuming pursuit.
The sun is described to be fair and of all light, whereas, the shadow to be unhappy and black as night; the juxtaposition of both metaphors highlights the shadow’s longing for the beloved’s warmth and illumination, as the shadow follows it’s sun.
The toxicity of such a chase then only can further deprive the shadow of its light, leaving it in a state of disgrace. The sun, in contrast, in heaven in placed. To follow her, is to desire revival. This imbalance only further highlights the sorrow and yearning inherent in unrequited love.
The shadow henceforward remains dark, unfulfilled, scorched by the unattainable beauty it pursuits, and that only because it continues to chase the sun. Despite all, the shadow still hopes for its darkness to be turned into brightness, and that by the sun.
To be followed by such, it is inescapable for the sun, whose glory shineth, for its light to dim. For its essence to be tainted and that by the shadow. For unrequired love, not returning affection will affect at least one party.
Compelled to follow ones heart, despite knowing their love may never be reciprocated, this just brings inevitable pain, but for both to not fade, the shadow must accept disdain. The last verse ultimately reinforces the melancholic acceptance of unreciprocated love and the enduring, yet unfulfilled, devotion of the lover.
The purpose of fine arts is to convey that which frankly cannot be said.
[S]Her
by 葉奈
I keep waking to the thought of you;
my mouth turns bitter.
Refining my cooking just for you,
each time much harsher.
Grinding coffee, lost in thoughts of you,
ignite my lighter.
Constantly daydreaming of you;
ignoring her.
Retracing, to not yet forget you,
a true admirer.
Last waking thought is of you too.
Obsessed with her.