Point of View

The point of view in the poem is a close first-person narrative. We are existing behind the eyes of, inside the mind of, a single characterized speaker. Readers are given access not just to what the speaker is doing, but also to what he is thinking and feeling. That is, in fact, the central narrative of the poem: an expression of internally expressed ideas.

The other feature of the point of view is the use of second-person address. The speaker sometimes directly “talks” to the beloved, using “thee” and “thou.” This is the singular second-person address used for social inferiors and, as in this case, those with whom one is especially close with, which has fallen out of use in English in favor of the exclusive use of “you.” However, the speaker is careful to explain that the beloved is not there, but is far...