Sonnets from the Portuguese: XXXIII. Yes, Call Me by My Pet Name

Song Meaning

This poem opens with a direct plea, a yearning to be addressed with an intimate, childlike pet name. The narrator recalls a past where such a name was a signal of deep affection, a reason to abandon innocent play and seek out a beloved face. It's a powerful evocation of early, uncomplicated love and the security it provided, a stark contrast to the present silence. The central tension arises from the loss of these "clear fond voices," now "exanimate" or lifeless. The narrator invokes God, calling out "call God!—So let thy mouth / Be heir to those who are now exanimate," suggesting a desire for the beloved's voice to fill the void left by the departed. This is not just a wish for comfort, but a desperate attempt to transfer the life and love from the past onto the present relationship. The craft here is in the juxtaposition of innocence and mortality. The "cowslips piled" and "innocent play" of childhood are set against the "silence on the bier" and the "exanimate." The poem uses natural imagery, "north flowers to complete the south," to suggest a longing for wholeness and reconciliation, a desire to bridge the gap between life and death, past and present love. Ultimately, the lyrics resonate because they capture the profound human need for recognition and belonging through intimate language. The plea to be called by a pet name is a plea to be seen and loved as one was in their most vulnerable, cherished state, offering a powerful emotional anchor in the face of loss and the passage of time.