Susannah remembers the first time she saw the man she desired. She was innocent, but he was forceful and unapologetic. She admits she was afraid of him, yet that fear became a kind of devotion, so she acted the part he expected—soft, yielding, “woman to his male.” Her fear feels like reverence, but it also hides a sharper self-awareness. What unsettles him, though, is her quiet resistance: her shaded eyes issue a slower challenge he doesn’t expect. Then the mood shifts to intimate frustration. In a closed room, passion could blaze, but he stays cold and absent. She calls into the night, begging a “master of chariots” to sweep her away. The atmosphere is tense and breathless, mixing submission with bold longing, as Susannah swings between wanting to be taken and demanding more than she has been given.
Susannah in the Morning — Summary
When first I saw him I was chaste and good, And he, how ruthless, pardoned not the mood. From one quick look I knew him dear, And gave the highest tribute of my fear. So I played woman to his male: How better could his power prevail! But his hot sense showed quick surprise At the slow challenge of my shaded eyes. In a closed room what fires may burn! O my cold lover will you not return? To the high night I fling my prayer: Master of chariots, drive me in the air!