I cry your mercy pity love by John Keats | I cry your mercy pity love | Explanation | Summary | Key Points | John Keats | Word Meaning | Questions Answers | Critical Appreciation | Themes | Free PDF Download – Easy Literary Lessons
I Cry Your Mercy Pity Love
I cry your mercy—pity—love!—aye, love!
Merciful love that tantalizes not,
One-thoughted, never-wandering, guileless love,
Unmasked, and being seen—without a blot!
O! let me have thee whole,—all—all—be mine!
That shape, that fairness, that sweet minor zest
Of love, your kiss,—those hands, those eyes divine,
That warm, white, lucent, million-pleasured breast,
Yourself—your soul—in pity give me all,
Withhold no atom’s atom or I die
Or living on perhaps, your wretched thrall,
Forget, in the mist of idle misery,
Life’s purposes,—the palate of my mind
Losing its gust, and my ambition blind!
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I Cry Your Mercy Pity Love Analysis
I cry your mercy—pity—love!—aye, love!
Merciful love that tantalizes not,
One-thoughted, never-wandering, guileless love,
Unmasked, and being seen—without a blot!
Explanation: In this opening quatrain, the speaker makes a fervent appeal for a love that is pure, sincere, and unblemished by doubt or deception. By crying for “mercy—pity—love,” he reveals his intense vulnerability and desire for an all-encompassing, compassionate affection. The speaker specifies that he longs for a “merciful love that tantalizes not,” indicating a desire for love that is not elusive or teasing, but instead constant and genuine. He describes this ideal love as “one-thoughted, never-wandering, guileless,” emphasizing its single-minded devotion and innocence. This is a love that is “unmasked,” open, and honest, “without a blot,” meaning it is without flaw or imperfection.
Keats’s use of “without a blot” suggests that the speaker desires a love free from any hint of betrayal or doubt. The line implies that true love is not only unchanging but also uncorrupted—a love that the speaker can fully rely on without fear of being hurt or deceived. These lines capture the Romantic yearning for a deep, spiritual connection that is unaffected by the usual flaws of human relationships.
Poetic devices
Imagery: The words “unmasked” and “without a blot” create a vivid image of a love that is exposed and transparent, free from hidden motives or imperfections. These images help readers visualize the purity and openness the speaker seeks.
Epithet: The description “guileless love” uses an epithet to characterize the love as innocent and honest. It reinforces the purity of the speaker’s ideal love, which is untouched by deceit or manipulation.
Caesura: The use of dashes in “mercy—pity—love!—aye, love!” introduces pauses that create a halting rhythm, mirroring the intensity and desperation of the speaker’s emotional plea. This technique also gives the reader time to consider each word’s weight.
Personification: Love is given human attributes with descriptions like “one-thoughted” and “never-wandering,” which depict it as having a mind of its own, steadfast and loyal. This personification enhances the sense of love as a powerful, living force.
Repetition: The repetition of “love” in “love!—aye, love!” underscores the speaker’s fixation on love, intensifying the emotional tone. This figure of speech conveys his single-minded focus on the concept of love.
O! let me have thee whole,—all—all—be mine!
That shape, that fairness, that sweet minor zest
Of love, your kiss,—those hands, those eyes divine,
That warm, white, lucent, million-pleasured breast,
Explanation: In these lines, the speaker intensifies his plea, desiring complete and total possession of his beloved. He asks to have her “whole,—all—all—be mine!” emphasizing his longing for an all-encompassing connection that leaves nothing out. This repetition underscores the desperation and depth of his passion. He doesn’t just want pieces of her or fleeting moments; he yearns for every aspect—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
The speaker lists specific attributes that he finds captivating: her “shape,” “fairness” (beauty), and “sweet minor zest” of love. He includes the physical elements of her affection, such as “your kiss” and her “hands” and “eyes divine.” These physical details reveal his admiration and almost worshipful appreciation of her physical presence. Finally, he mentions her “warm, white, lucent, million-pleasured breast,” which symbolizes intimacy and tenderness. The phrase “million-pleasured” suggests that his love for her brings an immeasurable sense of joy and fulfillment. By portraying her as radiant (“lucent”), the speaker implies that she is not only physically desirable but also luminous and life-giving.
Poetic Device
Epizeuxis: The repetition of “all—all” emphasizes the speaker’s deep desire for total possession and devotion. It highlights his intensity and insistence on experiencing love in its entirety.
Imagery: Keats uses vivid imagery to bring the beloved to life for the reader. Words like “shape,” “fairness,” “hands,” and “eyes divine” allow the reader to visualize the beloved’s physical presence, while “warm, white, lucent” appeals to the senses, emphasizing her radiant, almost heavenly beauty.
Enjambment: The flow from one line to the next without pause conveys the speaker’s passionate rush of emotion. This uninterrupted flow mirrors his uncontrollable longing, as each thought spills into the next.
Hyperbole: The phrase “million-pleasured breast” is an exaggeration that emphasizes the intense joy and fulfillment the speaker derives from his beloved. This hyperbolic expression elevates his experience of love to something transcendent and infinite.
Metaphor: “Million-pleasured breast” is also metaphorical, representing the boundless joy and pleasure she provides. This phrase transforms her presence into an endless source of happiness, portraying her as almost otherworldly.
Alliteration: The repeated “w” sound in “warm, white” creates a soft, flowing effect, enhancing the gentle and intimate tone of the line. It reflects the warmth and closeness the speaker desires from his beloved.
Yourself—your soul—in pity give me all,
Withhold no atom’s atom or I die
Or living on perhaps, your wretched thrall,
Forget, in the mist of idle misery,
Explanation: In these lines, the speaker’s plea reaches its emotional climax, as he implores his beloved to give herself entirely—her very “soul.” He is not only seeking physical closeness but a total, profound connection that encompasses her inner being as well. The phrase “in pity give me all” underscores his vulnerability, suggesting he feels deeply incomplete without her. He believes that any reservation, even as small as “an atom’s atom,” would be intolerable. The idea of withholding even a tiny fraction of her love or essence would, he says, bring him to the brink of death.
If he cannot have this complete union, the speaker fears an even worse fate than death: living on as her “wretched thrall.” In this state, he would be her slave, bound by unfulfilled desire and perpetually unsatisfied longing. He worries that he would “forget, in the mist of idle misery,” indicating that his life would lose meaning and purpose. Without her complete love, he foresees himself drifting into a fog of despondency, where he would lose touch with his ambitions and passions, feeling trapped in an existence of unproductive sorrow.
Poetic Device
Metaphor: “Atom’s atom” serves as a metaphor for the tiniest possible fraction, symbolizing his desire for a love without the slightest reservation. It also conveys the depth of his vulnerability and his craving for absolute completeness in love.
Alliteration: The repeated “m” sounds in “mist of idle misery” create a soft, melancholic rhythm that mirrors the despair the speaker would feel without complete love. This alliteration underscores the sense of fading and drifting into purposelessness.
Imagery: Keats uses the phrase “mist of idle misery” to evoke a foggy, aimless state of mind, representing emotional and mental desolation. This image allows readers to envision the bleak, unproductive life the speaker anticipates without full love.
Life’s purposes,—the palate of my mind
Losing its gust, and my ambition blind!
Explanation: In this concluding couplet, the speaker expresses the dire consequences of unfulfilled love. He fears that without his beloved’s complete affection, he would lose his sense of “life’s purposes.” His life would become hollow, devoid of the goals and passions that once gave it meaning. The phrase “the palate of my mind / Losing its gust” uses the metaphor of taste to convey a loss of mental and emotional satisfaction. Just as food loses flavor for someone in despair, so too would life lose its savor for the speaker if he were deprived of the love he longs for. His “ambition” would become “blind,” suggesting that his dreams and aspirations would lose their direction and clarity, leaving him listless and without purpose.
The speaker presents love as the very essence of his life’s meaning and motivation. Without it, he fears not only emotional emptiness but a kind of intellectual and spiritual numbness. This final thought reinforces the theme of love as an essential force that sustains one’s passions, ambitions, and zest for life. By losing this love, the speaker anticipates a total disillusionment, where even his highest aspirations would fade into a purposeless existence.
Poetic Device
Metaphor: “The palate of my mind / Losing its gust” is a metaphor that compares the mind’s enjoyment of life to the sense of taste. This imagery suggests that without love, his mental and emotional experiences would become bland and tasteless, devoid of pleasure or excitement.
Alliteration: The repetition of the “p” sound in “purposes” and “palate” creates a subtle emphasis, highlighting the significance of purpose and mental satisfaction. The alliteration reinforces the idea that these elements of life would be lost without love.
Personification: By describing his “ambition” as “blind,” Keats gives human qualities to ambition, suggesting it would lose its ability to guide and inspire him. This personification reflects the speaker’s belief that love fuels not only his emotions but also his drive and vision.
Imagery: Keats uses vivid imagery in “palate of my mind / Losing its gust” to depict a state of emotional numbness and intellectual apathy. This sensory image helps the reader feel the depth of the speaker’s anticipated desolation.
Caesura: The pause created by the dash in “Life’s purposes,—the palate of my mind” introduces a reflective moment, allowing the reader to linger on the speaker’s despair before the final thought of lost ambition. This break emphasizes the depth of his anticipated suffering.
