The poem opens with a speaker presenting an issue, namely: is it possible for a woman to love two men equally? This question frames the stakes for the entire poem, as Behn’s speaker inherits the predominantly male position of pastoral poet to present a vision of feminine desire as plural. In stanza one, the speaker’s feelings about Damon immediately yield to thoughts/feelings of Alexis, and this balancing act continues throughout the poem. Stanza 2 shows how loving two people equally results in a zero-sum game; we learn that even when one of these lovers is present, the speaker actively misses the other. Finally, the poem ends in stanza 3 with the speaker imploring Cupid to remove her affection for one of the two lovers, but remaining indecisive as to whom it will be.
Song ("On Her Loving Two Equally")
by Aphra Behn
