In When We Two Parted, the bitterness felt by the poet when he thinks of his lost love is expressed musical in several ways. The path of love is not always sunlit. In Shades of Love, the music expresses a variety of emotions brought on by diverse stages of love: ecstasy, tenderness, bitterness, wistfulness, eternal devotion. The colours and harmonies shift to match the mood of the poetry as each song portrays a different aspect of love.