The Power of Similitude
Following the opening line, the rest of the entire poem is a simile that compares touching the other’s person’s goodness to being an illiterate man holding a letter with contents that must remain a mystery for a certain period of time. The poem could have been written without the means of direct comparison to touching goodness and still have been a powerful portrait of how the illiterate person feels, therefore the very fact that it commences as a point of comparison implies that finding similarities between dissimilar things is a prominent theme.
Illiteracy and the English Language
The poem makes some very subtle points about just how difficult it can be for someone to become literate with the English language. Lines 2 and 3 both end with the word “hand” but the meaning of that word is different in each case. The same holds true for the use of “means” in lines 6 and 7. “Beloved” is used first as a noun before the poem ends with it used as a verbal adjective. With just three relatively commonly used words, the poet reveals what a true accomplishment it is to be literate in the English language.
Oblique Homosexuality
It is possible to read the poem without having the slightest idea that it has a theme related to homosexuality. It helps, of course, to know that the poet was homosexual, but even if one is not acquainted with that fact, the mention of the “dark girl” alludes to Shakespearean sonnets in which it is believed that the “dark girl” which is the subject of so many of his poems was in fact a male. The thematic connection is tenuous enough that it is absolute not essential to fully enjoying or even interpreting the poem satisfactorily, but it does deepen the layers of meaning.
