LINE 1–6
I grieve and dare not show my discontent;
I love and yet am forced to seem to hate,
I do, yet dare not say I will meant,
I seem stark mute but inwardly do prate.
I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned,
Since from myself another self I turned.
The speaker states that she is suffering from intense grief but her position of being queen restricts her from showing her discontent.
She loves but she is forced to express hate. The speaker did love but she is now forced to say that she never meant it. The following line presents the personality of the speaker.
It could be said that the speaker is in complete (stark) peaceful (mute) state, but within herself the speaker is talking foolishly about various subjects (prating). She would not recognize herself, she is intermingling her emotions within herself. The alternation of emotions created a new persona within herself.
LINE 7–13
My care is like my shadow in the sun
Follows me flying flies when I pursue it
Stands and lies by me doth what I have done
His too familiar care doth make me rue it
No means I find to rid him from my breast,
Till by end of things it be supprest.
The speaker describes the condition when one’s problems (care) follows her throughout every moment of her life. The speaker’s problems follow her when she tries to figure it out they flew away. Her problems stand and lie by her however she has tried to catch or figure out. They are always out of her reach.
The speaker no longer wishes to be for him or remember when he was there. It is now the goal of the speaker to rid him from her breast but she is unsuccessful.
LINE 12-18
Felt some gentle passion slide into my mind;
For I am soft and made of melting snow;
Or be more cruel, love and so be kind.
Let me, or float or sink, be high or low;
Or let me live with some more sweet,
Or die and so forget what love ere meant.
The speaker pleads to feel something deeply. She wants to get out from her present situation. She has now become weak to face all these emotions as she is fragile like melting snow. The speaker thinks of cruelty could help her to get from her present mental state. If the person she loves make her believe that he hated her, it would be an act of kindness
The speaker wants to feel one emotion at a time either extreme or slight to sustain the life. She needs to be either with sweet content or forget what love ever meant to her.