Standing at the edge of her future, the speaker looks toward a horizon that is "so near and yet so far," where earth meets sky and green islands dot the distance. It becomes an image of everything she wants but can't yet reach. She describes herself as a simple girl with big dreams of doing something noble and selfless, though she keeps those hopes half-hidden, tucked beneath "the foliage of heroism," as if she's a little shy about how ambitious they are.
The poem then turns to the hard work behind the dream. She admits the "folly of youth," where heart and mind pull in different directions, but she keeps going, improving her craft "inch by painful inch" and building her art piece by piece. The mood is hopeful but nervous. The final question, whether success is truly within her grasp, is left unanswered, so the poem ends in suspense, with determination and self-doubt standing side by side.