"I should like to lie at your feet and die in your arms"

Longing and vulnerability intertwine in the phrase Voltaire offers, evoking an intense intimacy that transcends everyday declarations of love. The desire to lie at another’s feet expresses humility and surrender, portraying a lover stripped of ego, willing to yield entirely to the beloved. This act is not one of abjection but of profound devotion, the ultimate gesture of placing oneself below another in affection and trust. It reveals a willingness to be vulnerable, to submit one’s autonomy in the name of love, finding a paradoxical strength in such openness.

To die in the arms of the beloved imbues the line with even deeper significance. In this context, dying is not solely a physical act, but a poetic symbol of ultimate unity—a wish to make the final passage of life enveloped in the warmth, security, and tenderness of the person most cherished. It is a yearning for closeness so profound that even mortality is rendered gentle and beautiful. Death, often feared, is transformed here into a moment of union and solace, softened by the loving embrace.

The juxtaposition of these two images—at the beloved’s feet and in their arms—strikes at two facets of love: humility and elevation. The former denotes worshipful adoration, the latter the cherished intimacy found in the arms. Voltaire’s language fuses these aspects, presenting love as both transformative and consuming. Annihilation of the self becomes a gateway to ecstatic belonging; surrender is not loss but gain, providing meaning and fulfillment in another’s presence.

Such words are as much about the beloved as the lover, as mutuality is implied in the cradling of arms around the dying; acceptance is offered alongside surrender. The phrase crystallizes a moment where dignity and humility coalesce, inviting the reader to consider love not merely as passion, but as a sacred trust to which one gives everything, even unto death.