New Beginnings

One of the central themes of the poem is the concept of starting anew. The poem even takes its title from a morning greeting, “good morrow.” The closest it comes to a literal plot is showing the moment of two lovers waking up together, underscoring the importance of newness to the rest of the poem that follows.

The poem is invested in exploring the miracle of the present moment. The speaker begins by wondering what “thou and I did, til we loved” (1-2). It is as if he has forgotten his entire past, or as though it did not exist or has lost all of its importance in the face of his love for his soulmate. Nothing that happened beforehand matters anymore, and he is leaving all of it behind, so much so that it is no longer even in his mind. He vaguely recalls...