Point of View

"Since There's No Help" is written from the first-person perspective of a lover to his beloved. He at first appears to resign himself to the fact the their love (or his pursuit) must come to an end, but later in the poem imagines that their relationship can be saved. Within the context of the larger sonnet sequence of which the poem is a part, the speaker is declaring to his beloved that since his love remains unrequited, he will stop trying to win her favor. Out of context, however, many read the poem as a representation of love that has staled over time, with both parties mutually agreeing to give up. Either reading is feasible for the poem, which ultimately leads readers to the question of whether the speaker is speaking out desperation, hope, compulsion, or fear.

Language and Meaning

The language of "Since There's...