December and May
The poem revolves around opposites - contrasts of life and death, night and day, December and May. Leander decided to cross the stream of Hellespont at night in December and died for love. The poet decided to mimic this for his own glory in the month of May and got out only with a shiver.
Love and Glory
Leander swims and drowns because of love; the poet swims and survives for glory. Leander loses his labour; the poet loses his jest, and the humor out of the foolish bravery is lost. Both of them showed immense bravery and the poet found kinship with the character from mythology in that: "And swam for Love, as I for Glory."
Myth and present
The Greek myth of Leander and Hero is the inspiration of this poem, as well as the poet's foolish demonstration of bravery for his own satisfaction of glory. Leander crosses the stream to be with his lover Hero and one cold December night her light is lost and with that Leander loses his way and drowns. The poet think of this story while being at the place of the myth and of Leander's bravery and how he, a "degenerate modern wrench", is doing so little in comparison which pushes him to mimic the hero from the myth.
