In this short lyric, a young man asks a girl with honey-coloured hair to leave a bright nighttime gathering and come dance with him alone. He insists the darkness won’t matter, because her eyes will give them light and her hair will shine like a torch among the trees. Away from the lanterns, they can find soft grass and shadow under the hayrick, where love feels more at home than in the open glow. The speaker is clearly enchanted and physically drawn to her—he describes the two of them as almost luminous with delight. The mood is intimate, secretive, and romantic, mixing summer-night tenderness with the excitement of stealing away from other people. It sounds like a whispered, eager invitation to be alone together.
Invitation — Summary
O GIRL with honey-coloured hair, And will you come and dance with me ? The night is dark but you can spare Light from your eyes for both to see, And in the shade of trees divine Like a whirled torch your hair will shine. So dance apart and dance away ; The rest about the lanterns gather, But there is light for two to play In any place where we're together, And there is soft long grass and shadow Beneath the rick across the meadow. For love in darkness is at ease And likes no candle save the light Of kindled eyes and glowing tress And bodies luminous with delight. The rest about the candles stay : O dance away ! O come away !