Is It Better to Have Loved and Lost?

Although times have changed and centuries have passed by, some parts of life will always remain the same. The relationship between a man and a woman is complicated . Count Baldasarre Castiglione described the difficulties of these in his book, The Courtier, where he describes the perfect courtier. The book, at some point, describes the benefits of Platonic relationships over sensual ones. One recurring theme that sensual relationships often bear is pain. During the Sixteenth Century, Sir Thomas Wyatt wrote love songs. One in particular "Farewell, Love," is about loss and pain. The liberal ways of the nineteen hundreds has brought to light different types of "acceptable" relationships and practices, but still we cannot avoid the pain of love. Irving Kahal wrote "I'll Be Seeing You," which shows love lost in a modern love song. Wyatt's poem can be read in two different ways. Either the author means what he says and really feels "Thy baited hooks shall tangle me no more," or it is just a hurt man trying to rationalize what he has no control over. The former is most likely, but seems too rational. "And 'scape forth since liberty is lever," shows that he escaped from her grasp. Wyatt here is portraying the author as a victim who has been freed. Freed of what though? That is the issue. The title "Farewell, Love" may sound as if it is directed at a specific person. However, it has a double meaning. I believe there is no single "Love" he is referring to, but love in general. Love is the subject which the author wants to bid adieu to. This double meaning shows the extent of the pain that the author is experiencing. Not only has he been hurt by a lover, but so bad that he will never love again. Kahal's song "I'll Be Seeing You," from the start is similar to Wyatt's. I'll be seeing you is a colloquial euphemism for good-bye; as the words "so long". When the song continues, however, we are informed that this is a difficult parting for one party