As a poet, Michael Field finds his inspiration in the classical sense. He appeals to the muses for direct inspiration. In "XXI" he actually calls upon them by name to give him something to write. In reality, his poems usually revolve around the manifestation of the muse in erotic love. He writes about women as if they are divine, something entirely other from himself.
Field is a romantic to be sure. He works out his issues with himself through the embodiment of his desires in his lovers. The women who are the subjects of his poems are more of a romantic ideal which Field wishes he could be for himself, rather than looking for it outside. In "A Girl" he even asks the lover to complete the poem as an act of love. He cannot find the words to describe what she means to him, appealing, instead, to a kind of desperate longing. He needs for someone to come along and give him the words.
