Michael Robartes asks Forgiveness because of his many Moods

Song Meaning

The speaker, Michael Robartes, seems to be addressing someone whose peace has been disturbed by his own volatile emotions. He acknowledges that his words and hopes are fleeting, like a rose that can be crumpled, suggesting a lack of substance or permanence in his expressions of affection or desire. The imagery of "odorous twilight" and covering lips hints at a desire for a quiet, perhaps melancholic, intimacy, a stark contrast to the grand, ancient visions that follow. The core of the lyrics lies in a dramatic invocation of powerful, almost elemental forces and mythical imagery. Robartes conjures "Hearts of wind-blown flame" and "Winds, elder than changing of night and day," linking them to "marble cities," "battle banners," and figures like "young Niamh." This grand tapestry of ancient longing and faded glory, culminating in the image of the last Phoenix dying, seems to represent the overwhelming, perhaps destructive, nature of the "moods" he struggles with. The contrast between the personal plea for quiet intimacy and the epic scope of the invoked past is striking. The "importunate heart trouble your peace" is juxtaposed with a cosmic yearning that has witnessed empires rise and fall, and even the death of mythical creatures. This suggests that Robartes's internal turmoil is not just personal but echoes a deeper, more ancient melancholy, a "tumultuous song" of change that never finds rest. Ultimately, the lyrics convey a profound sense of restless, perhaps self-destructive, passion. The speaker asks for forgiveness not for a specific transgression, but for the very nature of his being – his "many moods" that disrupt tranquility. The final image of covering blossoms with hair and sighing for "all things longing for rest" encapsulates this paradox: a desire for peace within a heart that is eternally stirred by a grand, sorrowful, and ancient longing.