
ET TU MARITUS (And you, Husband?)
Had we never met, my wife
A loss I'd have never known
Never heartbreak so rife
Never reaping what I'd sown
Are not the fears in my life
Handily seen, yet never shown?
Love bleeds on another's strife
Only when one's heart's not stone
Now that we have met, my knife
Glitters brightly, never shone.
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Explanation: "And you, Husband?" is the title. Obviously reminiscent of Brutus' betrayal of Caesar. In a way, the title is meant to say that I have betrayed her, although the poem is written from my standpoint. The point of the first stanza is that if we had never met (Line 1), I would have missed the only true Love I have ever felt (Line 2), but I would have also avoided so much pain (Line 3), mostly self-caused (Line 4). Line 5 and 6 comedically ask if you can see my fears which I hide so poorly. Line 7 equates love and heart without actually saying heart (as it's overdone), and line 8 names and while presenting us with the sad truth that to love one must allow for pain. The last two lines allude to the harm I have brought using the metaphor of the knife which is often, tragically, hidden from me, if not used unwittingly.
Had we never met, my wife
A loss I'd have never known
Never heartbreak so rife
Never reaping what I'd sown
Are not the fears in my life
Handily seen, yet never shown?
Love bleeds on another's strife
Only when one's heart's not stone
Now that we have met, my knife
Glitters brightly, never shone.
-----------------------------------
Explanation: "And you, Husband?" is the title. Obviously reminiscent of Brutus' betrayal of Caesar. In a way, the title is meant to say that I have betrayed her, although the poem is written from my standpoint. The point of the first stanza is that if we had never met (Line 1), I would have missed the only true Love I have ever felt (Line 2), but I would have also avoided so much pain (Line 3), mostly self-caused (Line 4). Line 5 and 6 comedically ask if you can see my fears which I hide so poorly. Line 7 equates love and heart without actually saying heart (as it's overdone), and line 8 names and while presenting us with the sad truth that to love one must allow for pain. The last two lines allude to the harm I have brought using the metaphor of the knife which is often, tragically, hidden from me, if not used unwittingly.
Posted 2 years ago
