Question

In this poem, the speaker struggles to win his love with words and fails, only to find that someone else has won her love with a mere sigh. The experience leads the speaker to certain conclusions about love.

Read the poem Love’s Secret and fill in the graphic organizer.

“Love’s Secret,” by William Blake



Never seek to tell thy love,

Love that never told can be;

For the gentle wind does move

Silently, invisibly.

(5) I told my love, I told my love,

I told her all my heart,

Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears:

Ah! she did depart!

Soon as she was gone from me,

(10) A traveler came by,

Silently, invisibly:

He took her with a sigh.

What is Love’s Secret?

In line 7, the speaker uses the following words: trembling, cold, and ghastly fears. How do these words affect the meaning of the poem?

The speaker uses the phrase “silently, invisibly” twice in the poem. Once in line 4 and again in line 11. How does the tone of line 4 differ from line 11?

Answer 1

What is Love's Secret?

Love's secret is that it should never be directly communicated, as it is something that moves and works silently and invisibly.

In line 7, the words trembling, cold, and ghastly fears suggest that the speaker is expressing their fear and vulnerability when trying to communicate their love to someone. These words add a sense of fear and desperation to the speaker's expression of love, emphasizing the idea that expressing love through words can be a difficult and uncertain endeavor.

In line 4, the phrase "silently, invisibly" is used to describe the way love moves and works, suggesting that it is something that cannot be seen or directly communicated. In contrast, in line 11, the phrase is used to describe the way the traveler came and took away the speaker's love, suggesting that the speaker's love was taken away without them even realizing it, emphasizing the idea that love can be lost without being aware of it. The tone of line 4 is more contemplative, while the tone of line 11 is more regretful.