The speaker begins with a heart that was empty, so he fills it with idealized thoughts of a woman. Her remembered ways feel sweet, and that sweetness pulls him toward her. But when he actually reaches her, the reality is harsh: her mouth brings pain, and loving her brings only regret. What remains is not the woman herself, but the memory of those earlier hopeful thoughts, now shut inside his heart. The poem captures the gap between longing and reality, where fantasy can feel more comforting than actual love. The mood is wistful and solitary—tender toward the remembered sweetness, yet heavy with disappointment and the quiet ache of knowing the dream was better than what he found.
My Heart Stood Empty — Summary
My heart stood empty and bare, So I hung it with thoughts of a woman. The remembered ways of this woman Hung sweet in my heart. So I followed where thought should lead, And it led to her feet. But the mouth of this woman was pain, And the love of this woman, regret; And now only the thought Of all those remembered thoughts Of remembered ways, Is shut in my heart!