Form and Structure
The poem consists of 16 lines, with four stanzas, each measuring four lines each, known as quatrains. There is a regular rhyme scheme of ABAB, CDCD. The rhyme is mostly perfect, as in stanza three, with some consonant rhyme as in stanza four, ‘heaven’ and ‘forgiven’. With the metrical pattern being iambic tetrameter, that is four metrical feet per line.
Summary
The poem begins with the speaker stating that he is separated from the one he loves, the intended listener of the poem. While they are apart, he feels miserable. The speaker becomes unsure what to do with himself, due to he sense of loneliness. However, later it’s revealed that it’s actually the speaker’s own fault they are separate. He tells the listener not to ask him when he’s going to come back as he doesn’t know. The speaker is unable to resist the sexual urges plaguing his every waking moment. The poem concludes with the speaker admitting that he’s likely never going to change.