Original artwork, not a still
The Golden Legend • 1872
Time has laid his hand Upon my heart, gently, not smiting it, But as a harper lays his open palm Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Time is imagined as a musician quieting an instrument with a gentle hand. The heart’s diminished intensity is therefore neither a violent blow nor a sudden break. The comparison gives emotional change a softer rhythm, suggesting feelings gradually becoming less resonant as life passes.
Context reviewed
