Who’s this, that leaning on her friend

Song Meaning

The lyrics present a dramatic address to someone emerging from a 'Wildernesse,' with the speaker asserting a deep, almost primal connection. The initial lines, 'Who's this, that leaning on her Friend / Doth from the Wildernesse ascend?' immediately establish a sense of mystery and a powerful origin story. The speaker claims responsibility for the addressee's very conception, stating, 'Minde how I raised thee / Ev'n where thy Mother thee conciev'd.' This suggests a creator-creation dynamic, with the speaker positioning themselves as the source of life and identity. This intense possessiveness is further amplified by the demand for unwavering devotion: 'Me in thy hart, engraven beare / And Sealelike on thy handwrist weare.' The speaker equates this love with an almost terrifying force, declaring, 'For, Love is strong as Death; / Fierce as the Grave is Jealousie.' This comparison elevates the emotional stakes, framing the love as an all-consuming, potentially destructive power that brooks no rivals or distance. The lyrics employ striking architectural metaphors to illustrate the lengths the speaker would go to secure this love. If the addressee acts as a barrier ('a wall'), the speaker vows to build defenses around them: 'We Turrets upon her will reare / And Pallaces of plate.' Conversely, if the addressee is a gate, the speaker will 'fence her in.' This imagery highlights a desperate need for control and containment, a desire to physically manifest their protective, yet ultimately imprisoning, affection. The speaker then shifts perspective, describing themselves as a 'wall already built,' with their own 'Breasts upon the same / Do Turretlike, arise.' This self-description, coupled with the feeling of 'setled peace possest,' suggests a transformation or a state of readiness, perhaps a response to the addressee's presence. The final stanza shifts to a plea for the addressee's voice, likening the desired swiftness of their love's response to 'a Hart or nimble Roe / Upon the Hills of Spice,' ending on a note of urgent, almost desperate longing for reciprocation.