Aline Kilmer’s “High Heart” is a love poem spoken by someone waiting at a window through a long, dark night. She watches the sea—grey and white, restless in the darkness—and her mood immediately dips into sorrow, much like the seagulls swooping down. Her thoughts fly out to a lover aboard a distant, lonely ship, and the separation aches. Yet she refuses to give in to despair. She names her heart “high,” meaning proud and resilient, able to bear whatever bitterness this parting brings. The scene is dreary: midnight, flying foam, the sound of the sea. But the whole poem turns on a quiet certainty. She is not just enduring; she is waiting actively for the “golden morning” when the ship returns. The mood is a mix of loneliness and resolute hope—the feeling of someone holding steady through the worst hours because she trusts the dawn.
High Heart — Summary
The sea that I watch from my window Is grey and white; I see it toss in the darkness All the night.
My soul swoops down to sorrow As the sea-gulls dip, And all my love flies after Your lonely ship.
Yet I am not despairing Though we must part, Nothing can be too bitter For my high heart.
All in the dreary midnight, Watching the flying foam, I wait for the golden morning When you come home.