Complaints and grievances arise only where there is closeness or friendship; if this is not intimacy, then what else is it?

This couplet captures a tender truth about love: grievances and complaints only exist where there is genuine intimacy. We never hold grudges against strangers; it is closeness that gives us both the vulnerability to hurt and the right to complain. The poet gently reframes a lover's quarrel, showing that their very resentment is the sweetest proof of their deep, undeniable bond.