The speaker watches the afternoon end and turns it into a way of understanding his own feelings. Sunlight moves slowly away, leaving traces behind; the sea and sky feel both restless and emptied out; early starlight trembles the leaves. That mixture of fading, stillness, and small vibration is the emotional setting. Then comes the key line: his love for Minna “strolls through this day.” Love here is not loud or dramatic. It is a lingering presence moving through quiet hours, noticing fragments the way one might pick up forgotten objects. The mood is tender and melancholy, but not bitter—more like someone keeping company with a feeling as daylight thins. The poem leaves an impression of love as something gentle, observant, and slightly haunted by its own fading.
Minna XVII — Summary
Afternoon sunlight limps tenuously away, Leaving a snarled retrospect of golden foot-marks. The sea is pregnant with gracious discords That falteringly shroud the sleep-rhythmed breasts of winds. The sky is a genially vacant stare. Remaining touches of starlight Tremble the leaves when air is still.... And so my love for you strolls through this day, Picking up forgotten hints of its heart.