Key learning points

1. Hardy recalls a devastating moment of separation in a romantic relationship.
2. The desolate setting reflects the speakers despairing and hopeless emotions.
3. The speaker's love for the subject seems to have been unrequited at the end of their relationship.
4. At the end of the poem the speaker shifts to the present tense to reflect the enduring impact of the separation.
5. The poem could reflect Hardy's unconventional and pessimistic view of romantic love.

Keywords

• Desolate - barren, deserted, devoid of life or hope

• Hopeless - despairing, lacking optimism or positive expectations

• Unrequited - unanswered, not reciprocated or one-sided

• Quatrain - a four-line stanza in a poem

• Melancholic - something or someone characterised by a deep sadness within

Common misconception