Poem Annotations

"Love in Fantastic Triumph sat"

Personification/military imagery

Love is a conquering general, sitting in triumph after victory. 'Fantastic' means extraordinary but also unreal - Cupid's power is spectacle. The image is theatrical and mocking.

"strange Tyrannic power"

Adjectives/political language

love is

"Tyrannic' is the key word in the poem. A tyrant rules by force and fear, not by consent. Behn uses a political term deliberately not described as sweet or divine but as an oppressive political system. This is deeply subversive.

"From thy Bright Eyes he took his fire"

on/irony

lazon is a conventional poetic form that praises the beloved's cal features. Here, Behn uses it ironically- the beloved's

iful eyes do not offer love but weaponry: fire that Cupid uses to

"Killing Dart"

Oxymoron/extended conceit

Cupid's arrows are traditionally love's weapons - but 'killing is unexpectedly literal here. Behn insists on the violence beneath the romance. The dart kills the speaker's peace of mind.

"my poor Heart alone is harmed" Contrast/self-pity/critique

'Alone' is the emotional crux. Despite both people arming Love equally, only one is damaged. This is Behn's central argument: love's rules are rigged. The speaker's vulnerability is not rewarded - it is exploited.

"Whilst thine the Victor is, and free"

Final contrast/closing irony

The poem ends on the beloved's freedom- placing it in sharp contrast to the speaker's harm. 'Victor' is military language again: love is a war, and the speaker has lost. 'Free' is the most devastating word: the beloved walks away unscathed.