The speaker is an individual dealing with the painful aftermath of a lost romance. She feels emotionally diminished and compares her heart to a hollow ledge holding a small, evaporating pool of water left behind by the sea's tide. Bereft of her partner's affection, she exists in a fragile state and feels powerless against the natural recession of her romantic life.

The former lover is the uncharacterized audience of the speaker's brief lament. Though physically absent from the text, this person's withdrawal of affection acts as the direct cause of the speaker's emotional desolation. The poem establishes that they once shared a strong connection with the speaker before their feelings entirely faded.

The tide acts as an indifferent, external force of nature that controls the condition of the speaker's heart. Operating entirely outside of human influence, it recedes and leaves behind only a tiny, evaporating puddle. It functions as a representation of time and the natural waning of intense feelings.