The Speaker
The speaker of this poem is in the midst of an attempt to rationalize her emotions. She is frustrated to discover that, no matter how she intellectualizes or ignores her feelings, the feelings themselves remain. She portrays herself as a jaded realist, long aware that love is unexceptional and that it is no more lasting or special than other natural processes. Nevertheless, when she is left by the man who once loved her, she feels stung—which in turn distresses her even more, since it contradicts her self-perception as a rational, cool-headed person. Even when the speaker talks about her strong emotions, she reports on them with a plaintive, slightly distant sadness.
The Lover
The speaker begins the poem with a request, making clear that she is addressing an audience of some kind. This audience becomes more explicit midway through the poem, when she specifically addresses a "you," noting that her addressee has stopped treating her with love. We learn very little about this addressee, other than that he is a man, and that he once loved the speaker but no longer does. The speaker appears to still feel love or affection for him and does not express resentment towards him, instead speaking with sadness and regret, and directing her dismay inwardly towards her own feelings.
