“Absence" is about grief, loss, and isolation. In the poem, the speaker returns to the point where she last interacted with her loved one. The loved one no longer exists, and the reader assumes he is dead. The absence of the loved one in the speaker's life makes her feel lonely and sad. The speaker does not believe that the absence is real, and she returns to where she last saw her beloved. The place is calm, tranquil, and beautiful.
The speaker says nothing has changed because the experience remains the same. For instance, the fountains flow in the same direction, and the mountains look the same. Therefore, nothing suggests that the speaker's loved one is gone. The realization by the speaker that nothing has changed at the place where she last saw her loved one brings her grief. The only difference is that birds sing beautiful songs that the speaker cannot understand. The speaker says that the birds are playing tricks on her mind because their stunning songs do not play any role in bringing back her loved one.
Jennings uses a sympathetic tone in the poem to show the speaker's sadness. The author presents the speaker as an intelligent and self-aware individual despite the absence of her loved one. The poem encourages readers to feel pity for the speaker for her terrible loss. The poet concludes that losing a loved one can change the perception of the world because natural beauty is replaced with pain.
