“Darling,” he said, “I never meant
To hurt you;” and his eyes were wet.
“I would not hurt you for the world:
Am I to blame if I forget?”
“Forgive my selfish tears!” she cried,
“Forgive! I knew that it was not
Because you meant to hurt me, sweet,—
I knew it was that you forgot!”
But all the same, deep in her heart
Rankled this thought, and rankles yet,—
“When love is at its best, one loves
So much that he cannot forget.”
Love Poems by Helen Hunt
Meaning of the Poem ‘Two Truths’ by Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt’s ‘Two Truths’ explores the emotional complexity of love when intention and impact diverge. The poem begins with a man expressing remorse, insisting he never meant to cause pain: his forgetfulness, not malice, is to blame. The woman graciously accepts his apology, recognising it wasn’t deliberate. Yet beneath her forgiveness lies a quiet, lingering wound.
The final stanza delivers the poem’s subtle truth: that true love, at its highest, makes forgetting impossible. It contrasts two realities: one partner’s unintentional hurt and the other’s unshakable belief that love should be mindful. The poem speaks to the deep human yearning to be cherished not just in feeling, but in attention and memory.
