The Nature Of Love

Song Meaning

These lyrics dive into the fundamental nature of love, positioning it as an inherent force tied to a "noble heart." It's a philosophical inquiry, using natural metaphors to define how love arises and where it ultimately stems from. The tone is elevated, almost reverent, as it seeks to unravel love's profound origins. The central idea hinges on a fascinating, almost circular relationship: "Love was not felt till noble heart beat high, Nor before love the noble heart was made." This suggests love isn't just an emotion that finds a home, but a transformative power that actively shapes and elevates the very heart it inhabits. It's a reciprocal creation, where one cannot exist in its full form without the other. The lyrics then build a series of grand, cosmic analogies to explain love's genesis and activation. It's likened to the sun's light filling the air, or "heat in the bright flames" finding its natural place. This concept deepens with the image of "hidden virtue in the precious stone," which only reveals its power when the "ennobling sun has shone" upon it, suggesting love is an inherent potential waiting to be kindled. What makes these lyrics truly resonate is the powerful, humanizing culmination. After all the celestial and philosophical build-up, with stars even imparting "Strange virtue in their rays," the ultimate source of this profound, ennobling love is revealed as coming "from woman's eye." This final, intimate image grounds the grand, abstract concept of love in a specific, deeply personal origin, making it both universal and intensely human.