Perhaps a heart was indeed like a piece of dry birchwood, and could only take fire and burn brightly once-that any fire that came after would be only an ember, smaller and cooler.
The quote suggests that a person's heart can be compared to dry birchwood, capable of igniting passionately at one moment in time. This imagery implies a sense of fleeting intensity in emotional experiences, hinting at the idea that the most profound emotional connections may occur only once in a lifetime.
Following that initial spark, subsequent feelings and relationships might not possess the same vigor and warmth. These later emotions are likened to embers, suggesting they lack the same intensity and fire, instead representing a more subdued, cooler form of affection or connection. This highlights the theme of the impermanence of passion and the bittersweet nature of love over time.
