At least lift your head and meet my gaze; you are neither intoxicated by wine nor drowsy with sleep.

Here, the poet gently urges the beloved to look up and meet their gaze, tenderly calling out their averted eyes. He lovingly strips away any convenient excuses, noting that neither wine nor drowsiness can explain this heavy silence. The lowered gaze thus becomes a powerful image of sweet hesitation, revealing deep bashfulness or the quiet guilt of unspoken feelings.