How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
The river mingles its stubborn lament with the sea. (2)
The river is a metaphor for the speaker, who is using the poem to lament his loss, just like the river's sounds are like a sad song (lament).
Quote #2
You girdled sorrow, you clung to desire,
sadness stunned you, in you everything sank! (17-18)
The woman was expected to save the speaker from his sadness, but it seems as though she was trapped in it, too. In fact, she seems like she was paralyzed by it.
Quote #3
There were grief and the ruins, and you were the miracle. (28)
The woman was to be the miracle that magically erased the sadness for the speaker, but maybe since they "found love in a hopeless place" they were doomed.