that in a thousand gentle knots was turned
and the sweet light beyond all radiance burned

in eyes where now that radiance is rare;

 

and in her face there seemed to come an air

of pity, true or false, that I discerned:

I had love's tinder in my breast unburned,

was it a wonder if it kindled there?

 

She moved not like a mortal, but as though

she bore an angel's form, her words had then

a sound that simple human voices lack;

 

a heavenly spirit, a living sun

was what I saw; now, if it not so

the wound's not healed because the bow grows slack. 

tinder - small pieces of something dry that burns easily, used for lighting fires

kindle - to cause a fire to start burning by lighting paper, wood, etc.

to heal - to make or become well again, especially after a cut or other injury

slack - not tight; loose

Due to the fact that the author speaks about the girl in the text, the poem repeats the words: She, her. The poem is written according to a scheme - at the beginning of each quatrain, the author describes some detail of the girl’s appearance or character, and then says what it means for him.

“all radiance” and “radiance is rare”

“mortal” and “angel”

This line makes me smile, because it reminds me of the bright image of a loved person.