What days await this woman whose strange feet
Breathe spells, whose presence makes men dream like wine,
Tall, free and slender as the forest pine,
Whose form is moulded music, through whose sweet
Frank eyes I feel the very heart’s least beat,
Keen, passionate, full of dreams and fire:
How in the end, and to what man’s desire
Shall all this yield, whose lips shall these lips meet?
One thing I know: if he be great and pure,
This love, this fire, this beauty shall endure;
Triumph and hope shall lead him by the palm:
But if not this, some differing thing he be,
That dream shall break in terror; he shall see
The whirlwind ripen, where he sowed the calm.
Love Poems by Archibald Lampman
Meaning of the Poem ‘A Forecast’ by Archibald Lampman
In A Forecast, Archibald Lampman envisions the future of a remarkable woman – one whose beauty, presence, and passion stir dreams in those around her. With her enchanting energy and “moulded music” form, she seems destined for greatness, drawing both desire and awe. The poem is both an ode to her power and a meditation on the impact she will have on the man who ultimately wins her love.
Lampman’s sonnet presents two divergent paths: if her lover is noble, strong, and worthy, her love will be a transformative gift, offering him joy, growth, and purpose. But if he is not her equal in greatness, then the intensity of her love may become destructive. The dream she offers will curdle into chaos, and instead of peace, he will reap a storm of his own making.
The poem is a quiet warning, cloaked in reverence, reminding us that to receive a love so potent, one must be strong enough to carry its flame without being consumed by it.
