Oh give me neither love nor tears, Nor dreams that sear the night with fire, Go lightly on your pilgrimage Unburdened by desire.
Forget me for a month, a year, But, oh, beloved, think of me When unexpected beauty burns Like sudden sunlight on the sea.
Sara Teasdale’s short lyric is a gentle act of letting go. The speaker asks a beloved not to burden her—or himself—with love, tears, or intense dreams. Instead of clinging, she urges him to travel lightly, free from desire. That sounds almost cold, but the second stanza softens it.
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