BY JEAN FROISSART by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
A speaker addresses Love directly, questioning what it seeks from them and acknowledging the lack of stability or predictability in it.
The poem
Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine? Naught see I fixed or sure in thee! I do not know thee,--nor what deeds are thine: Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine? Naught see I fixed or sure in thee! Shall I be mute, or vows with prayers combine? Ye who are blessed in loving, tell it me: Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine? Naught see I permanent or sure in thee!
A speaker addresses Love directly, questioning what it seeks from them and acknowledging the lack of stability or predictability in it. The poem revisits its own lines, echoing the same plea like someone who can't stop pondering a persistent question. It’s a brief, sincere acknowledgment that love seems more like a mystery than a source of comfort.
Line-by-line
Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine? / Naught see I fixed or sure in thee!
I do not know thee,--nor what deeds are thine: / Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine?
Shall I be mute, or vows with prayers combine? / Ye who are blessed in loving, tell it me:
Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine? / Naught see I permanent or sure in thee!
Tone & mood
The tone is mournful and introspective — the speaker isn't angry at love, just truly adrift in its presence. There’s a quiet vulnerability instead of a dramatic display. The rondel form, with its natural repetitions, imparts a circular, somewhat helpless sensation to the poem, much like a persistent thought you can't quite escape.
Symbols & metaphors
- The heart — The heart represents the speaker's true self — the most vulnerable part of them. The anxiety at the core of the poem revolves around giving it to Love or having Love take it without any clear reason.
- Love as a person — By addressing Love directly as "thou," the speaker transforms an abstract emotion into a character with intentions and actions. This portrayal makes love seem like an entity influencing the speaker rather than merely a feeling the speaker experiences.
- The refrain — The returning lines aren't just a formal device; they reflect how unanswered questions about love tend to circle back on themselves. The speaker keeps ending up in the same spot because there's never a resolution.
- Vows and prayers — These words draw from religious devotion, implying that love requires a form of faith — a commitment made without guarantees. The speaker questions whether such surrender is wise or even achievable.
Historical context
Longfellow published this poem as a translation—or a close imitation—of a rondel by the 14th-century French chronicler and poet Jean Froissart, whose name is in the title. Froissart wrote in the courtly love tradition, portraying love as a noble yet tormenting force. Longfellow had a strong interest in European medieval literature and translated extensively from French, Spanish, Italian, and German throughout his career. This poem reflects a broader 19th-century Romantic fascination with the Middle Ages, as poets revisited medieval forms to explore emotions with formal elegance. The rondel structure—characterized by its required repeated lines—originated in medieval France, and Longfellow faithfully preserves it, allowing the form to carry as much weight as the words.
FAQ
It's a translation, or a close imitation, of a rondel by Jean Froissart, the 14th-century French poet and historian. Longfellow was a prolific translator who often drew from medieval European sources. The title makes it clear that he's crediting Froissart rather than presenting the poem as his own original creation.
A rondel is a medieval French poem with a specific structure that includes a repeating refrain. The first two lines reappear in the middle and at the end, often with slight variations. For example, in the lines "Love, love, what wilt thou with this heart of mine? / Naught see I fixed or sure in thee!" the phrase returns twice, and in the final instance, "fixed" is replaced with "permanent" — a small but significant change.
This technique is known as apostrophe — addressing an abstract idea or a figure that’s not present. In the courtly love tradition that Froissart was part of, Love was often depicted as a strong, almost divine force with its own will. Calling it "thou" makes the speaker's helplessness more palpable: they’re not merely puzzled by an emotion; they’re confronting something that seems to have intentions aimed at them.
It suggests that the speaker sees love as completely unstable and unreliable. "Naught" is an archaic term for "nothing," while "fixed" refers to being steady or constant. Essentially, the speaker feels that love offers no firm foundation—it's ever-changing, unpredictable, and they struggle to understand its true nature or intentions.
It's a small but intentional shift. "Fixed" implies something that could potentially be secured but isn't. "Permanent" takes it a step further — it suggests that nothing truly lasting exists in love by its very nature. This change gives the final statement a more resigned and definitive tone, as if the speaker has transitioned from confusion to a stark conclusion.
The speaker looks to those who have truly discovered happiness or certainty in love—the fortunate ones who appear to have cracked the code. It's a moment of reaching out after all the self-reflection. The speaker is eager to learn their secret, suggesting they feel they don’t quite fit in with that crowd.
Quietly lost. The speaker isn't raging or heartbreakingly dramatic — they're truly confused and slightly vulnerable. The repeated refrain creates a circular, restless energy in the poem, akin to someone pacing the same few steps, unsure of where to go next.
It's about love in its purest form. There's no "you" as a specific individual—the speaker is grappling with love as an idea and a powerful force, rather than focusing on a specific relationship. This aligns closely with the courtly love tradition, where Love itself was the main focus, almost treated like a deity to be explored or sought after.