The spring of love becomes hidden and soon filled up.

"The spring of love becomes hidden and soon filled up." These words by Max Muller speak to the fleeting nature of love, and how its purest form, like a spring of fresh water, can become obscured, often by the weight of time, experience, and life's demands. At first, love is vibrant, flowing, and abundant — like a spring bubbling from the earth, providing a source of renewal, joy, and inspiration. Yet, as time passes, this spring often becomes hidden, buried beneath layers of routine, grief, or disappointment, until it seems to have dried up. In this metaphor, Muller captures the fragility of love, and the way in which it can be stifled by the practicalities of life or by the challenges that come with intimacy and attachment.

The ancients too understood the transitory nature of love. The Greeks saw love as a force that was often as unpredictable as the tides, ebbing and flowing, affected by both internal and external forces. Plato wrote about eros, a passionate and often fleeting love that was full of yearning and longing. In the Symposium, Plato described how eros could drive individuals toward beauty, truth, and even spiritual enlightenment. However, this love, while intense, was not meant to be permanent in its form. It was a force that, once experienced, would eventually transform or fade. Muller’s statement echoes this notion, suggesting that the spring of love, once exposed to the challenges of life, may eventually become concealed or even forgotten as time moves on.

Consider the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, a tale from Greek mythology that illustrates how love, though powerful, can be subject to the forces of loss and regret. Orpheus, the great musician, was given the chance to bring his wife Eurydice back from the underworld. But he was warned not to look back at her until they had reached the surface. Overcome with love and desire, he turned back, only to lose her forever. The love between them, which had been a powerful and passionate spring, was lost due to the weight of longing and impatience. This myth demonstrates how love, when driven by uncontrollable forces, can be hidden or become lost, not because it is no longer real, but because it is overwhelmed by the difficulties and impossibilities of life.

The Romans too recognized the ephemeral nature of romantic love. Ovid, in his Ars Amatoria, celebrated the delight of love, but also cautioned that it was a force that must be continually nurtured. In the same way that a spring can be blocked or drained, love, Ovid suggested, must be carefully tended to remain strong. True love requires not only passion, but the effort of continuous attention. Just as a spring can be hidden by debris or forgotten as life moves on, so too can love become distant or overshadowed by the demands of daily life or miscommunication. Muller’s quote serves as a reminder that love, though natural and life-giving, needs to be tended to, lest it disappear into the background, hidden beneath the weight of life’s troubles.

In modern relationships, Muller’s insight is just as relevant. We often find that the intensity of love that we feel early in a relationship can diminish or become veiled over time. The spark that once made love feel as though it were a constant, flowing spring may turn into something more mundane, filled with practical concerns. The euphoria of new love often fades, and love may seem less abundant, less spontaneous, and more like a duty to maintain. However, this does not mean the love has disappeared, only that it has evolved and is waiting for us to rediscover it, just as a spring may be hidden beneath the earth, but can still be tapped when needed.

Consider the example of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Their relationship was filled with passion, but also intense struggles and betrayals. Over time, their love, once a flowing spring, became hidden beneath layers of pain and misunderstandings. Despite this, the love they shared remained an essential part of both their lives, even though it no longer existed in its original form. Their connection transformed through time, as they continued to create together, even as their personal relationship grew more complicated. In this way, Kahlo and Rivera demonstrate that while love may become hidden, it still runs deep, waiting for the right moment to surface again, offering renewal and inspiration when we need it most.

The lesson here is clear: love is not something that remains constant without effort. Just as a spring of water must be maintained to continue flowing, so too must love be cultivated and protected. It is easy for love to become hidden or obscured when we neglect its nurturing or when we allow the burdens of life to cloud its natural flow. But like the hidden spring, love never truly disappears; it is always there, waiting to be rediscovered. We must acknowledge that love will ebb and flow, that it will require work and patience to keep it alive. When love feels hidden, remember that it can be unearthed again, simply by returning to its source, by reconnecting and tending to it with care.

Therefore, my children, let us honor the springs of love in our lives. When love feels hidden or obscured, we must not assume it is lost. Instead, let us tend to it, revive it, and cherish it, understanding that love’s ebbing and flowing are part of its natural rhythm. Just as water can be tapped from a buried spring, so too can love be revived through patience, effort, and attention. Embrace love in all its phases, whether flowing or hidden, knowing that it is always capable of renewing itself when we choose to cultivate it.