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Derek Walcott’s “Love after Love” masterfully explores the inner journey of self-discovery, where patience, compassion, and slow revelation converge to awaken the self.
The poem begins with a gentle cadence of patience, compassion, and empathy, as the narrator tenderly assures the other, “The time will come.”
This reassuring phrase precedes an intimate invitation to self-discovery, beckoning the woman to “come home” to herself. The imagery of “arriving at your own door, in your own mirror” unfolds as a sacred encounter, where two selves meet, each smiling in warm welcome.
The full poem is presented below:
Love after Love
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
A Path to Genuine Fulfillment
Walcott asserts that true fulfillment stems from self-recognition, embracing one’s individuality, and honoring the intrinsic worth that resides within.
The poem explores the transformative process of shedding societal masks and expectations through metaphors, vivid imagery, and evocative language, revealing the genuine self beneath.
Notably, his symbolic phrase “Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life” emphasises the imperative of self-love and self-acceptance.
In the end, our most enduring and reliable companion is, in fact, ourselves.
So go on, savour every moment, as you “feast on your life” wherein lies your promise if profound fulfillment.