O where are you going with your love-locks flowing On the…
““O where are you going with your love-locks flowing On the west wind bellowing along this valley track?” “The downhill path is easy, come with me an it please ye, We shall escape the uphill by never turning back.” So they two went together in glowing August weather, The honey-breathing heather lay to their left and right; And dear she was to doat on, her swift feet seemed to float on The air like soft twin pigeons too sportive to alight. “Oh, what is that in heaven where grey cloud-flakes are seven, Where blackest clouds hang riven just at the rainy skirt?” “Oh, that’s a meteor sent us, a message dumb, portentous, An undeciphered solemn signal of help or hurt>” “Oh, what is that glides quickly where velvet flowers grow thickly, Their scent comes rich and sickly?” “A scaled and hooded worm.” ”Oh, what’s that in the hollow, so pale I quake to follow?” “Oh, that’s a thin dead body which waits the eternal term.” “Turn again, O my sweetest,--turn again, false and fleetest: This beaten way thou beatest, I fear is hell’s own track.” “Nay, too steep for hill mounting; nay, too late for cost counting: This downhill path is easy, but there’s no turning back.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A dialogue of lovers navigating choices, contrasting easy downhill with dangerous uphill, symbolizing temptation and irreversible decisions
In simple terms: Choosing a tempting easy path may lead to irreversible consequences
Key Takeaway
Beware alluring shortcuts; consider long‑term impact
Themes
love
choice
consequence
temptation
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- romantic relationships
- career moves
- ethical dilemmas
Key Concepts
free will
symbolism
dualism
Questions to Reflect On
- What appears easy may hide hidden costs?
- How do you assess irreversible choices?