Back again with another Irish love poem! If this is your first time here, then I suggest after reading my notes on this poem, you pop on over to this post for my other Irish love poems. This poem is taken from Eavan Boland’s collection, In a Time of Violence (1994).
The poem “Love” by Eavan Boland is about the complexities of love in a long-lasting relationship. It shows how love changes over time, from passionate beginnings to facing challenges and loss. The couple still love each other and speak plainly, but the poem ends with the speaker unable to reach back to the intensity they once shared. Overall, it’s a touching and relatable portrayal of the ups and downs of love.
Love by Eavan Boland
Will we ever live so intensely again?
“Love” comes from Eavan Boland’s collection In a Time of Violence (1994). It looks back to Iowa City, where Boland spent time in 1979 at the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, with her husband, the novelist Kevin Casey, and their two small daughters. While they were there, one of the girls fell dangerously ill with meningitis and, thankfully, recovered.
Years later Boland returns to the town, and the river at dusk makes her think of the river the hero crosses into the underworld in Virgil’s Aeneid. That old story sits alongside her own memory of the young couple in the snow, not knowing if their child would live.
Their love now is steady, honest and everyday, and the poem does not pretend otherwise. But she longs to reach back to the burning intensity of that time, and the ending admits she cannot. It is a poem about how love changes, and about the limits of memory.
You will find the full poem in In a Time of Violence (Carcanet, 1994) and in Eavan Boland’s New Collected Poems (Carcanet, 2005).
A wonderful Irish love poem, isn’t it?
I certainly enjoyed it. Eavan Boland’s poem “Love” delves into the intricacies of love within a long-term relationship. The poem captures the evolution of love over time, from its passionate and intense beginnings to the challenges and emotional distance that may arise as years pass. Boland portrays love as a complex and multifaceted emotion, acknowledging both its joys and its hardships.
Some key points about Love, by Eavan Boland
- The poem explores love in a long-term relationship, depicting its evolution over time.
- It highlights the shift from passionate beginnings to facing challenges and emotional distance.
- The impact of external factors, such as the loss of loved ones, is acknowledged in the relationship.
- Despite difficulties, the poem conveys a sense of hope and resilience.
- Love is portrayed as a complex emotion, with both joys and hardships.
- The poem emphasizes the importance of open communication and facing each day together.
- Overall, “Love” offers a realistic portrayal of love’s journey, enduring through life’s trials and tribulations.
I hope you enjoyed reading and learning more about this wonderful Irish love poem.