The Kiss
I hoped that he would love me,
And he has kissed my mouth,
But I am like a stricken bird
That cannot reach the south.
For though I know he loves me,
To-night my heart is sad;
His kiss was not so wonderful
As all the dreams I had.
“The Kiss” is a romantic poem written in 1917 by Sara Teasdale (see here) who would win the first Columbia Poetry Prize in 1918, a prize later renamed the “Pulitzer Prize for poetry.”
It suggests that the fantasy of a kiss, above all the first kiss, with someone is not always as magical as one imagines it would be.
The speaker, a girl, hoping to be loved by the man of her desires, has dreamt a lot of her magical first kiss with him .
But, after kissing him, she sadly realizes that her much anticipated kiss was not so amazing as she wished: the long waited expectation has been sweeter than its realization.
In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (1820) John Keats had already expressed the same idea, a century before:
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard/ Are sweeter”
The power of our imagination is often greater than reality: imagining something can bring great happiness while something real can be disappointing.
Il bacio
Speravo che mi amasse,
e lui la mia bocca ha baciato,
ma io sono come un uccello ferito
che non riesce a raggiungere il sud.
Perché pur sapendo che mi ama,
stanotte il mio cuore è rattristato;
il suo bacio non era meraviglioso
come io l’avevo sognato.
(trad: L.Z.)
Image: Gustav Klimt – The Kiss (detail) – 1907-1908
Verissimo. Molte volte, moltissime, fin troppe, le cose non sono mai ciò che ci aspettavamo… la delusione, in fondo, è tutta a debito.
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Ricordi il Sabato del villaggio?😘😘😘
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Eccome! 🧡
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Bellissimi, poesia e quadro!
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Grazie, Alessandro, e buona settimana 🙏💜🙏
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🌹❤
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🙏😘🙏
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[…] The Kiss […]
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Thank you for reblogging 🙏🙏💋🙏🙏
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Bellissimo tutto Lu
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Grazie, Paola cara 🌺💋🌺
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I love these lines: “But I am like a stricken bird / That cannot reach the south.”
How beautiful a way to describe a shattered dream.
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You’re right, Will : the poet used an absolutely fascinating image 🌺
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THIS TOUCHED MY SOUL , I KNOW ONLY TOO WELL OF THESE LOVELY BUT LONELY, SAD , ONE WAY KISSES BUT SOOO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, IT MAKES THE DEAD FLOWERS IN MY HEART WANT TO BLOOM ONCE MORE 👄💔💖
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Let them bloom then. 🌹🌹🌹
I’ve just read in a post that perfect love is with the 37th man in your life: so we still have time and hope💜🌺💜
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37TH. OH GOD I DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY FOR THAT KIND OF WORK OUT GENE WAS ENOUGH FOR ME 45YRS, WOW BUT I DO CONSIDER MYSELF A Lady Chatterley’s Lover TYPE OF A WOMAN HAHA
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😊🥰❤🤗
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LUISA, JUST REBLOGGED THIS SO EVEN MORE PEOPLE CAN SEE IT AND ENJOY THANK YOU 💕🎵💖
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You are so kind💜🌺💜
Thank you very much for reblogging 💋🙏 💋🙏 💋🙏 💋🙏
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[…] The Kiss […]
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Thank you 💜🌺😘🌺💜
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chi si accontenta gode….
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😉😘😉😘😉
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In compenso abbiamo gustato noi le sue dolcissime parole!!!! ❤
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😘💜😘
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Belle illustration de Klimt pour accompagner ce post !
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Je suis vraiment contente que l’image t’ait plu : elle semblait juste pour illustrer un baiser 💋
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How often imagination surpasses reality.
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Almost always, I dare say 🙏😘🙏
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Kisses are given and taken in different ways by different people, but there’s nothing to beat a kiss between two people who are thinking the same.
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I totally agree with you, however, sometimes, the things desired, imagined, expected, eventually turn out to be more faded, in reality
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I know exactly where you’re coming from
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“Il potere della nostra immaginazione è spesso più grande della realtà: immaginare qualcosa può portare grande felicità mentre qualcosa di reale può essere deludente”. Questa è semplicemente da cornice. Brava Luisa che riesci sempre a conquistare il nostro interesse. 😘
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Grazie, carissima. Purtroppo è quello che sperimentiamo tutti noi:: l’attesa della felicità a
volte arreca più gioia che non il conseguimento di ciò che si sognava 😘🤗😘
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Love the poem. I used to say I’d be like to meet a man half as good as my imagination. Or even his. 😉
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What a great wish, ,,, and did it work? 💜🌼💜
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Not yet… 😉
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😘😘😘
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Nice one as always Luisa ❣
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I’m really glad that you liked this poem 🙏🤗🙏
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Always love your poem ❤️🙂
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I though this poem was beautiful , too
😘🙏😘
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Molto bella! 🌹
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Mi fa piacere che anche tu la trovi bella!😘
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😘 (è anche un po triste… 🌹)
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… e lo è, come lo è la possibilità di trovare che la realtà corrisponda ai propri sogni
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Si! ☀️😘
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Is beautiful.💙
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I have always loved this Klimt painting, and I also love the poem. Thank you for sharing it.
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Thank YOU so much, Tanja, for commenting and showing your support ❤
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That’s it..one is so “stricken” the first time that it may take away from the dreamy experience imagined and waited for! Love that Keats quote too💕👍
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Il dipinto di Klimt è diventato la rappresentazione del bacio per eccellenza,
Sara Teasdale invece per me è una grande scoperta. Grazie a TE Luisa!
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Grazie, sempre
Le tue parole mi hanno fatto felice 🦋🙏🦋
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❤
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Connubio perfetto tra testo e dipinto.
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Grazie di cuore per questo commento positivo
🙏❣🙏❣🙏❣🙏
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Another interesting post, I love it 🤎. And I like this line too “The power of our imagination is often greater than reality.” It’s so true
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🙏🙏🙏 thank you for taking the time to read! I really appreciate your kind words and I am glad you liked it!🌹
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This poem made me smile – thanks for pairing it with the Klimt. Anticipation sometimes leads to disappointment…
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You’re right, the anticipation of joy is often more satisfying than joy itself 🙏🎈🙏🎈🙏
Thank you for your kind comment
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