SONE-118 – Tsumugi Akari
As the poem progresses into the second quatrain, the speaker admits that he "fed on bitter" things even when he was "full of your ne'er-cloying sweetness" [27]. This highlights a deep human insecurity: the fear that happiness is too stable to last. By trying to "anticipate" a future decline in love, the speaker actually creates a real crisis. The "policy in love" (strategic planning) backfires, proving that you cannot treat health as if it were a disease without eventually becoming truly ill. SONE-118
It warns against "policy in love"—the idea of testing a relationship or seeking variety just to "prevent" boredom, which ultimately poisons the "healthful state" of the romance. Written in iambic pentameter SONE-118 – Tsumugi Akari As the poem progresses