Told in a rush of images, this is a love poem about a summer romance, and the speaker is overwhelmed by it. Addressed to a lover named in the title, "Lucas," it opens with the idea that being seen by this person gives the speaker new shape and life. The speaker calls himself a misanthrope, someone who dislikes people, yet says he is "no longer buried." Love has pulled him out of isolation.
The middle of the poem suggests a secret relationship. The kisses belong to "the clandestine," and the speaker says his Mother cannot understand what this means. Judging by the imagery, the love is private, perhaps hidden from others.
The ending turns to memory. The speaker looks back on the last hours of a summer day, on kissing, touching, and the fear that it will not last. The word "finite" hints at that fear. The mood is tender, sensual, and wistful, with a loss of control in the final line: "made the body weak."