The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter Love Quotes

Notice how, at the age of fourteen, the wife considers her husband to be her noble lord. However, as she matures even just over the following year, the wife develops a more sophisticated understanding of the equality and sharing in their relationship.

At this moment, the wife may be refusing the husband's affections because she's uncomfortable with her new identity as a wife, with a "Lord" for a husband.

It seems that, now that she's fifteen, a year has passed in which her desires and affections have, let's say, "blossomed."

There are two ways to look at this line. The most positive way is to understand that the wife wants to be as united with her husband absolutely—she wants to be united at the molecular level. The more complex way is to see how the wife and husband give up their separate identities to the other person when they're married.

This is a soul-crushing reaction to seeing two butterflies together. Notice how the heartbreaking image makes the wife feel that either time is slipping away, or that she's being worn down by her desire.