Amy Lowell’s “Aubade” is a short, intimate love lyric built on a single comparison. The speaker imagines undressing the beloved the way she would peel a green husk from a white almond. The act is not rushed or rough; it is careful, attentive, and tender. Beneath the outer layer, the speaker finds first a smooth kernel and then something even more astonishing — a gem beyond counting. The poem is less about literal nudity than about the slow, reverent uncovering of another person’s true self. The speaker feels desire, but also awe and protectiveness, as if holding something priceless. The mood is quiet, sensual, and full of wonder, and the title, meaning a morning song, adds a soft dawn-like hush.
Aubade — Summary
As I would free the white almond from the green husk So would I strip your trappings off, Beloved. And fingering the smooth and polished kernel I should see that in my hands glittered a gem beyond counting.