The speaker, reflecting on a past love, describes the feeling of being "half in love with easeful death." She acknowledges the pain of loss and the longing for a love that no longer exists. She contrasts this with the "wild" and "untamed" nature of the living world, which she finds both alluring and unsettling.
The poem is characterized by its evocative imagery and introspective tone. The speaker oscillates between a yearning for the comfort of death and a desire to embrace the messy beauty of life. The poem ultimately leaves the reader pondering the bittersweet nature of existence, the constant interplay of joy and sorrow, and the search for meaning in the face of mortality.