Love here is not calm admiration but an urgent desire to give. The speaker begins with a direct request: “Hold your apron wide,” as if the beloved can catch whatever she has to offer. She wants to pour out so many gifts that two arms can hardly keep them from spilling. The image is homely and physical, but the feeling behind it is enormous. She longs to cover the beloved completely, not just to hand something over. Even when she admits the gifts are “poor things,” that does not weaken the impulse; it makes it more touching. The speaker never says what the gifts are, because their worth matters less than the need to give. The final line, “Dearest of my Heart!” turns everything into a direct, intimate address. The mood is tender, slightly breathless, and full of devotion—a love that feels it must offer something, no matter how small.
Obligation — Summary
Hold your apron wide That I may pour my gifts into it, So that scarcely shall your two arms hinder them From falling to the ground.
I would pour them upon you And cover you, For greatly do I feel this need Of giving you something, Even these poor things.
Dearest of my Heart!