In a parched, exhausting landscape, the speaker imagines himself as a hot traveler who finds clear water and drinks it from his hands, feeling it run down his throat “like laughter.” That image sets up the real subject: a beloved person coming to him across the emotional dryness of his life. Her presence makes the waste around him flower, and he holds her face as if it were a precious cup. Kisses and laughter mingle there, and he drinks them in the way the traveler drinks water—gratefully, thirstily, with joy and relief. The mood is intimate and tender but also urgent, as if love is something he cannot do without. The repeated “like water, like water” creates a soothing, almost chant-like rhythm, suggesting both deep need and deep satisfaction.
The Cup — Summary
As a hot traveller Going through stones and sands, Who sees clear water stir Amid the weary lands, Takes in his hollowed hands The clean and lively water, That trickles down his throat Like laughter, like laughter,
So when you come to me Across these parched places And all the waste I see Flowered with your graces, I take between my hands Your face like a rare cup, Where kisses mix with laughter, And drink and drink them up Like water, like water.