Wickham’s speaker starts by imagining herself as a warm field stretched out to the sun. The beloved’s love feels like light and heat, making growth and pleasure begin inside her; even a rising, singing bird seems to be saluting that brightness, and she compares her own fond words to such happy birds. Then the roles reverse. She becomes the sun itself, while the beloved is the water of a still, bright lake. Her arms are like encircling air, drawing him upward and drinking him in for her sun-ship’s sake. The effect is intimate and radiant, mixing tenderness with a confident, almost ecstatic energy. Love here is not one-sided; it is a cycle of giving and receiving warmth, song, and light.
Eternal Songs — Summary
I AM a field spread warm before the sun — Lord of my day! Your love is warmth and light. In me all growth and pleasure are begun: A bird soars singing to salute your height.
Love, my fond words, Are happy birds!
I am the sun's self, And you the waters of a still bright lake; My arms encircling airs, Which draw you, drink you, for my sun-ship's sake.