'To the River' Summary

The poem begins with the speaker addressing the river, calling it a 'holy thing,' and drawing parallels between its flow and the passage of time. He seeks solace in the river's constant movement, finding a temporary escape from his grief. As the poem progresses, the speaker reveals the source of his sorrow: the loss of his love. He describes his love with tender imagery, highlighting her beauty and their shared dreams. He envisions her spirit carried away by the river, a symbolic representation of her death. The speaker expresses his desire to join her in death, wishing to be consumed by the river's current. The poem culminates in a plea for death, emphasizing the speaker's overwhelming grief and the longing for reunion with his lost love. The river becomes a metaphor for both the beauty and the inevitability of life's journey, ultimately symbolizing the speaker's surrender to death and the acceptance of his fate.