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The first line of “Lake” introduces an ambiguous “you” as its subject, and this individual is addressed throughout the poem. It is worth considering the actual identity of “you,” because poets often use this second-person pronoun in various and interesting ways. Sometimes there is a detail or a description within the work that identifies—or even names—the “you.” At other times, “you” can refer to the audience in general, drawing readers themselves into the poem by seeming to speak directly to them. Still other poets use “you” to mean the speaker him- or herself. That is, “you” really means “I,” but referring to oneself in the second person allows a distance—or a chance to examine a situation more objectively—that the first person does not afford. Which is the case in “Lake”?

The short answer is that we do not know. But Warren is noted...