Now each creature joys the other

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of nature in full bloom, where "each creature joys the other" and "her bosom decked with flowers." This idyllic scene, bathed in the "greatest torch of heaven," is presented as a time of renewal, with "nights and days both even" and "fresher sap" for the plants. It's a world where birds communicate and the earth thrives, setting a vibrant, harmonious backdrop. However, this widespread joy sharply contrasts with the narrator's profound despair. While the "field of flowers" is "quite bereaven," the narrator's personal world is anything but flourishing. The natural world's bounty only seems to amplify their own sense of loss and emptiness, highlighting a deep personal "despair." The narrator personifies nature's elements to reflect their own sorrow. "Echo, daughter of the air" is invoked not to share joy, but to "know the name of my fierce fair" and "sounds the accents of my ills." Even the "babbling guest of rocks and hills" is enlisted to witness and broadcast the narrator's suffering, suggesting that every aspect of existence is now tinged with personal tragedy. The core of the narrator's pain is a "cruel maid" who "doth me and my love despise." Their "life's flourish" is directly tied to her "eyes," and her rejection leads to decay. Despite this, the narrator resigns themselves to her will, concluding with a fatalistic acceptance: "And well he ends for love who dies."