“Vale” means farewell, and the speaker offers two goodbyes. The first goes to a dear friend, separated by distance — “all the world” now stands between them. The second goes to a sweet love, separated by something far more final: a grave. In both stanzas, the repeated image of “hands that meet to part” captures the ache of closeness that cannot last. There is no anger here, only tenderness and quiet sorrow. The rhythm is soft and song-like, almost like a lullaby for loss, and the repeated goodbye makes the poem feel like a ritual of letting go. By moving from friendship to romantic love, and from distance to death, the speaker deepens the sense of grief, ending with a question that has no answer: what comfort can there be when every meeting ends in parting?
Vale — Summary
Goodbye, sweet friend, goodbye And all the world must be Between my friend and me ; And nothing is, dear heart, But hands that meet to part ; Goodbye, sweet friend, goodbye.
Goodbye, sweet love, goodbye, And one long grave must be Between my love and me ; What comfort there, dear heart, For hands that meet to part ? Goodbye, sweet love, goodbye.