Young people’s hearts were extremely combustible. Once lit, the flame of passion would spread with the abandon of wildfire, out of control. If the combustible portion of the other’s heart similarly caught fire, the two had to become lovers, if only to escape their misery. Romantic love thus could not be expected to endure. At some point, the flames of passion had to quiet down into a more lasting warmth. For youth, that sort of love amounted to romance gone flaccid. No matter how blessed a marriage based on such love might be, there would inevitably be a pinch of resignation mixed in.
