I think the line "But now I'm lonely as that" should be "But now how lonely is that?"
He's saying that he could have (metaphorically) read of love and life and the object(s) of his affection, but instead he took action to gain real experience and live his life. It ties into the idea of the futility of words and that one should actively control the direction of their life instead of fantasizing about poetic ideals.
I think the line "But now I'm lonely as that" should be "But now how lonely is that?"
He's saying that he could have (metaphorically) read of love and life and the object(s) of his affection, but instead he took action to gain real experience and live his life. It ties into the idea of the futility of words and that one should actively control the direction of their life instead of fantasizing about poetic ideals.