--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only--but this is rare-- When a beloved…" description: "\"Only--but this is rare-- When a beloved hand is laid in ours, When, jaded with the rush and glare Of the interminable hours, Our eyes can in another's ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/matthew-arnold-1235_beloved_only-but-this-is-rare-when-a-beloved-han_2640096.jpg" --- # Only--but this is rare-- When a beloved hand is laid in… ![“Only--but this is rare-- When a beloved hand is laid in ours, When, jaded with the rush and glare Of the interminable hours, Our eyes can in another's eyes read clear, When our world-deafen'd ear Is by the tones of a loved voice caress'd-- A bolt is shot back somewhere in our breast, And a lost…” quote by Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/matthew-arnold-1235_beloved_only-but-this-is-rare-when-a-beloved-han_2640096.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/matthew-arnold-1235_beloved_only-but-this-is-rare-when-a-beloved-han_2640096.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/matthew-arnold-1235_beloved_only-but-this-is-rare-when-a-beloved-han_2640096.jpg) > “Only--but this is rare-- When a beloved hand is laid in ours, When, jaded with the rush and glare Of the interminable hours, Our eyes can in another's eyes read clear, When our world-deafen'd ear Is by the tones of a loved voice caress'd-- A bolt is shot back somewhere in our breast, And a lost pulse of feeling stirs again. The eye sinks inward, and the heart lies plain, And what we mean, we say, and what we would, we know. A man becomes aware of his life's flow, And hears its winding murmur; and he sees The meadows where it glides, the sun, the breeze.” [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A deep connection with a loved one awakens inner awareness and restores emotional vitality. **In simple terms:** Love revives our inner sense of purpose. Key Takeaway Cherish close bonds to feel alive. Themes love connection self‑discovery Mood reflective hopeful Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - intimate conversations - reuniting with loved ones - reflective moments - artistic inspiration Key Concepts emotional resonance inner awakening Questions to Reflect On - How does intimacy reshape your perception of self? - What moments awaken your inner voice? A Different Perspective May not capture the full complexity of grief or loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) [Breeze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breeze/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Our world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-world/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Tone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tone/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved's hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/have-you-ever-been-so-melancholy-that-you-wanted-to-fit-in-the-palm/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“And then there were her eyes. Two grey gimlets. They had a gaze that could strip wallpaper. They made you think that she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-rattigan/and-then-there-were-her-eyes-two-grey-gimlets-they-had-a-gaze-that/) [Tony Rattigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-rattigan/) > [“This looks like the red room of pain,” she says.  My mouth drops open. My little prude has been expanding her reading horizons. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/this-looks-like-the-red-room-of-pain-she-says-my-mouth-drops-open-my/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [I was interested in how we engage the world. How do we use our skin as our eyes? If you read a cityscape or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olafur-eliasson/i-was-interested-in-how-we-engage-the-world-how-do-we-use-our-skin-as/) [Olafur Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olafur-eliasson/) > [I read my eyes out and can't read half enough...the more one reads the more one sees we have to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-read-my-eyes-out-and-can-t-read-half-enough-the-more-one-reads-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Never try to hide your secrets from a person who can read your eyes. Because the one who read your eyes is always expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/never-try-to-hide-your-secrets-from-a-person-who-can-read-your-eyes/) [Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/) > [“Revelation is reading the Word through My eyes.   When you read My Word through man's eyes, you will continue to walk as men.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-stewart/revelation-is-reading-the-word-through-my-eyes-when-you-read-my-word/) [Jeffrey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-stewart/) > [“And now I’m wondering,” he said, “how it is you don’t realize your eyes ensnare me, just as mine do you. I can’t explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/and-now-i-m-wondering-he-said-how-it-is-you-don-t-realize-your-eyes/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“Rest your eyes and then read till they fall out of your head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/rest-your-eyes-and-then-read-till-they-fall-out-of-your-head/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“I can imagine myself in her place: trapped by a sordid past, terribly alone, defenseless before a crowd of jeering judges who hold my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/i-can-imagine-myself-in-her-place-trapped-by-a-sordid-past-terribly/) [Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/) > [“I like that library books have secret lives. All those hands that have held them. All those eyes that have read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neela-vaswani/i-like-that-library-books-have-secret-lives-all-those-hands-that-have/) Neela Vaswani > [Watch their hands, watch their eyes. Read eyes. No matter what a man is saying to you, it's not as important as what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/watch-their-hands-watch-their-eyes-read-eyes-no-matter-what-a-man-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [“You can make yourself believe that someone can look into your eyes and read your mind. You can wish for it, or dread it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/you-can-make-yourself-believe-that-someone-can-look-into-your-eyes/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [In your eyes I read such strange things but your lips deny they're true. Will your answer really change things? Making me blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/in-your-eyes-i-read-such-strange-things-but-your-lips-deny-they-re/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [“Our hands have held the life of every atom, and our eyes read the stories, of each soul. Our mouths have spoken words, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-smith/our-hands-have-held-the-life-of-every-atom-and-our-eyes-read-the/) Hendrith Smith ## More by Matthew Arnold > [Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred; culture has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-looks-beyond-machinery-culture-hates-hatred-culture-has-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [We must hold fast to the austere but true doctrine as to what really governs politics and saves or destroys states. Having in mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/we-must-hold-fast-to-the-austere-but-true-doctrine-as-to-what-really/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Culture is the endeavour to know the best and to make this knowledge prevail for the good of all humankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-the-endeavour-to-know-the-best-and-to-make-this-knowledge/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-the-acquainting-ourselves-with-the-best-that-has-been-known/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Strew on her roses, roses, And never a spray of yew! In quiet she reposes; Ah, would that I did too!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/strew-on-her-roses-roses-and-never-a-spray-of-yew-in-quiet-she/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Nature, with equal mind, Sees all her sons at play, Sees man control the wind, The wind sweep man away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/nature-with-equal-mind-sees-all-her-sons-at-play-sees-man-control-the/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Six years-six little years-six drops of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/six-years-six-little-years-six-drops-of-time/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Let the long contention cease! / Geese are swans, and swans are geese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/let-the-long-contention-cease-geese-are-swans-and-swans-are-geese/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [It is almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence, and to seek for miracles as evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/it-is-almost-impossible-to-exaggerate-the-proneness-of-the-human-mind/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Religion is ethics heightened, enkindled, lit up by feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/religion-is-ethics-heightened-enkindled-lit-up-by-feeling/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Genius is mainly an affair of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/genius-is-mainly-an-affair-of-energy/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture is both an intellectual phenomenon and a moral one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-both-an-intellectual-phenomenon-and-a-moral-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [English civilization the humanizing, the bringing into one harmonious and truly humane life, of the whole body of English society that is what interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/english-civilization-the-humanizing-the-bringing-into-one-harmonious/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Wandering between two worlds, one dead The other powerless to be born, With nowhere yet to rest my head Like these, on earth I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/wandering-between-two-worlds-one-dead-the-other-powerless-to-be-born/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) [Explore all 267 Matthew Arnold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## More Beloved quotes > [My Chosen Daughter, No one can define you without your permission. I want you to be so secure in who you are in Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/god/my-chosen-daughter-no-one-can-define-you-without-your-permission-i/) God > [Why should the Marquis de Cussy wage war on soup? I cannot understand a dinner without it. I hold soup to be the well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-antoine-careme/why-should-the-marquis-de-cussy-wage-war-on-soup-i-cannot-understand/) [Marie-Antoine Careme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-antoine-careme/) > [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I made you, dear, and all I make is perfect. Please come close, for I desire you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/i-made-you-dear-and-all-i-make-is-perfect-please-come-close-for-i/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My beloved like a jewel on my crown, In my vast and blue sky you are like a full-moon. I wish to stay entrapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranjan-dey/my-beloved-like-a-jewel-on-my-crown-in-my-vast-and-blue-sky-you-are/) [Ranjan Dey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranjan-dey/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [My beloved friend - one of the most unique and charming personalities of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/my-beloved-friend-one-of-the-most-unique-and-charming-personalities/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [A lover goes toward his beloved as enthusiastically as a schoolboy leaving his books, but when he leaves his girlfriend, he feels as miserable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-lover-goes-toward-his-beloved-as-enthusiastically-as-a-schoolboy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I lost my dad when I was younger, and I know what its like to lose a beloved parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/i-lost-my-dad-when-i-was-younger-and-i-know-what-its-like-to-lose-a/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [My beloved dog defied treatment from the best and most expensive veterinarians, holistic practitioners, trainers, and animal communicators. He was simply beyond my ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/my-beloved-dog-defied-treatment-from-the-best-and-most-expensive/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [Perhaps if only once you did enjoy The thousandth part of all the happiness A heart beloved enjoys, returning love, Repentant, you would surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torquato-tasso/perhaps-if-only-once-you-did-enjoy-the-thousandth-part-of-all-the/) [Torquato Tasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torquato-tasso/) > [Wicked sons do not have the Holy Ghost in the same way as do beloved sons, and yet they do have Baptism. So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Browse all 1,440 Beloved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only--but this is rare-- When a beloved hand is laid in ours, When, jaded with the rush and glare Of the interminable hours, Our eyes can in another's eyes read clear, When our world-deafen'd ear Is by the tones of a loved voice caress'd-- A bolt is shot back somewhere in our breast, And a lost pulse of feeling stirs again. The eye sinks inward, and the heart lies plain, And what we mean, we say, and what we would, we know. 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