The poem "A Certain Lady" is about a woman who listens to her best friend, a guy, tell her of his girlfriends and dates. All the while, this woman is in love with him, though he doesn't know. The entire poem is the woman talking to her friend in her mind. She wishes she could tell him what she's thinking, but she can't. She begins by saying "Oh, I can smile for you and tilt my head," meaning that she can do these things and pretend to be happy for him and interested when he tells her of his dates, and meaning the same thing when she says "And drink your rushing words with eager lips." She may also mean here that she listens eagerly to what her best friend has to say, because she wants to know what goes on between him and these other girls. In the next line, she states that even while she is listening to him speak of these other girls, she tries to get him to notice her as more than a friend because she says "And paint my mouth for you a fragrant red." She is trying to look pretty and "primp" for him. The next phrase "And trace your brows with tutored fingertips" threw me off at first. Now I take t to mean that she does that, and he takes it as a best friend thing, but she does it wishing he would love and caress her in the same way. In the next line, she states that she can pretend to enjoy a friendly conversation with him about his dates when she says "When you rehearse your list of loves to me, Oh I can laugh and marvel, rapturous-eyed" But she begins to speak of her misery when she continues on by saying "And you laugh back, nor can you ever see/ The thousand little deaths my heart has died." What she means by this is that her friend is fooled by her deception by making him think that she only cares about him and his "loves" as a friend, because he reciprocates her laugh by laughing back. But she says he will never be able be able to see how she feels on the inside; and she and she is heartbroken and crushed because he does date other girls and does not care about her the way she cares for him. Next she says "And you believe so well I know my part/ That I am gay as morning, light as snow" This means that she plays a part in front of him, and the she knows this part well. The part she plays is the part of this guy's best friend, and she is saying that he believes her. Her part is also to act care-free and and happy for him when he comes to her with the news of his girlfriends. This guy also does not know that this girl, his "best friend", is acting. He thinks that she is truly his best friend, and only cares about him in that way. If she were real with him, he would be able to see that she truly loved him. However, on the outside she continues to play her part, but thinking to her best friend what she says next... "And all the straining things within my heart, you'll never know." What she means here is that her heart longs to be with him, only he will never be aware of it. Next she says, "Oh, I can laugh and listen when we meet," again stating that she plays her role as "best friend" and fakes happiness when they are together. The nest part is another place where we see how he is interested in other girls: "And you bring tales of fresh adventurings-". Here she says that he tells her of his newest and latest things he's done, girls he's been on dates with, and the like. "Of ladies delicately indiscreet", she goes on to say. What this means is that these other girls flirt with him - this is what I take the words "delicately indiscreet" to mean. Even more flirting goes on in the next line: "Of lingering hands and gently whispered things". I imagine this young man, and a girl with their hands together - but not held together. Together in a flirtatious way, but too shy, yet, to be so bold as to bravely and firmly hold each others' hands. I also see the young girl giggling as the young man whispers things in her ear. The author goes on to say "And you are pleased with me". Meaning that he likes her the way she is and he doesn't want her to change. And, to her, that means that he would not like her to tell him that she loves him because he wants her to stay the way she is. The nest part says "And strive anew/ To sing me sagas of your later delights." This is saying that he loves telling her and "singing" of his newest dates and things he's done. She again says that he doesn't want her in a girlfriend way by saying in the next line "Thus do you want me - marveling, gay and true-". She believes that he does not want her as girlfriend who is truthful with him and to him, happy, and smitten by him. Next she says "Nor do you see my staring eyes of nights." This, I take to mean, that, at night, she dreams of him and longs to be with him. The next line says "And when in search of novelty, you stray," This means that when he gets tired of the current girl he is dating, he will leave her and go onto another one, without thinking about her. "I can kiss you blithely as you go..." is the next thing she says. What she means by this is that she can bid him goodbye, yet again, as he goes on his way to find another girl. But, to her, she is used it. She has grown accustomed to bidding him goodbye and is used to him going and maybe even overlooking her. Finally, the last part of the poem, she says "And what goes on, my love, while you're away/ You'll never know." After he leaves to look for another girl, she goes back to wishing he were with her and that he loved her, and dreaming of their being together. And she says this is the thing he will never know about, because he only thinks that she is his friend.
Wow. This poem is so sad. I think, though, that it carries with it a ray of hope. Yes, he does do these things, but if she doesn't tell him how she feels, she won't know....
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