But now I feared his honeyed embrace, / the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art.
This quote encapsulates the dissolution of the Midases’ marriage due to his wish. The use of “But now” establishes the contrast between Mrs Midas’s reflection on the early days of their romance and their new forced separation. The “honeyed embrace” captures this double meaning: the honey used to refer to the sweetness of the embrace, but now refers to the fact that Mrs Midas will turn to gold if she touches her husband. These lines also subtly reference the exclusion of Midas’s wife from the original myth. Duffy is herself turning Mrs Midas into “a work of art” that explores the nuanced reality of her experience, bringing it to an audience.
And then I came home, the woman who married the fool / who wished for gold.
This quote marks a turning point in the narrative of the poem and the character development of Mrs Midas. She describes herself through her relationship with Midas—"the woman who married the fool / who wished for gold"—hinting at the double meaning of the poem, which is a retelling of the Midas myth through the eyes of his wife. However, she also hints at the future by stating "then I came home," indicating her plans for the future independent of her husband.
I think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon, / and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead. I miss most, / even now, his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch.
This poem explores the lingering consequences of Midas's wish on those in his life, in particular Mrs Midas. Although she has made the decision to split from Midas, certain times of day continue to remind her of him. In particular, she focuses on "dawn, late afternoon," which are notable both because they often are characterized by golden light and because they are transitional periods between different times of day, marking the different stages of Mrs Midas's life as married and independent. The bowl of apples brings back these memories so forcefully that it "stopped [her] dead," ironically alluding to the fact that Midas's touch could literally turn her into solid gold and kill her. Contrasting with the cold, frozen reality of Midas's life after his wish, Mrs Midas missed the "warm hands on [her] skin" from her husband's touch. These lines capture the juxtaposition between the cold, emotionless wealth of gold and the much more significant value of emotional intimacy and connection.
