Love
Eavan Boland
comes from a sequence of poems called "Ledgends" in which Boland explores parallels between myths & modern life.
myth behind this poem is the journey undertaken by Aeneas to the underworld.
meets the ghosts of his former companions who are both pleased & frightened to see him.
fail to communicate because their voices have become feeble.
point of myth is the pain of separation & loss.
Boland recalls her personal experience of young love in Iowa at a time when tragedy touched her family
her youngest daughter was seriously ill & close to death.
Poem explores the nature of human relationships & how they change over time.
The poem opens in darkness, remembering the past & the connection it has to the myth of Aeneas.
Aeneas crossed a bridge on his way to hell
& she and her husband are experiencing their own hell as they visit their sick little girl in hospital
Second stanza gives us a clear picture in detail of their ordinary life
it was here that they discovered the real meaning of love in their lives.
She describes it in metaphorical terms, as a living thing both strong & fragile.
"the hero crossed on his way to hell"
"love had the feather and muscle of wings and had come to live with us"
Stanza 3 refers to her children one of whom got meningitis while they were in Iowa.
The child survived but the experience evokes thoughts of separation & death.
In the final stanzas the poet focuses on the changing nature of love.
"we had two infant children one of which was touched by death in this town and spared"
The "we" becomes "I" and her tone becomes crisp.
The failure of Aeneas to communicate with his friends is compared to her lessened communication with her husband.
There is almost a sense of loss as she wishes to go back to the time when her children were young.
Rhetorical questions are posed at the end, will they ever live so intensely again? It would seem the answer is no.
Boland cannot recreate the past or recreate the feelings she felt at that time.
"Will we ever live so intensely again?"