Sorrow and Melancholy

Where it surfaces

• To Byron

  The poem celebrates the beauty of sorrowful melody and how grief can be adorned with a bright halo, transforming pain into art.

• To Chatterton

  The poem is a direct elegy for Chatterton, steeped in sadness over his untimely death and the waste of his talent.

• To Hope

  The poem opens with 'hateful thoughts' and 'gloom,' and repeatedly invokes Despondency, Disappointment, and Despair, establishing a pervasive mood of sorrow.

• Sonnet: Oh! How I Love

  The poem ends with a 'melodious sorrow' that brings a delicious tear, blending beauty with melancholy.

• Sonnet to Solitude

  The poem's tone is contemplative and tinged with a gentle melancholy, as the speaker negotiates the conditions of solitude.

• Sonnet: To One Who Has Long in City Pent

  The speaker mourns the swift passage of the day, comparing it to an angel's tear, evoking a gentle melancholy.

• To My Brothers

  The poem's quiet tone and reference to the 'great Voice' that will bid spirits fly evoke a gentle melancholy about life's transience.

• Written in Disgust of Vulgar Superstition

  The tolling bells and 'chill as from a tomb' evoke a deep melancholy, though the speaker ultimately resists despair.

• On Leigh Hunt’s Poem, The Story of Rimini

  The mention of 'fallen leaves are sear' and the invitation to moralize on a smile or tear evoke a gentle melancholy.

• On the Sea

  The invitation to brood by the cavern suggests a melancholic retreat from the world's noise into solitary contemplation.

• IV

  The lady's song personifies Sorrow as a constant companion, and the Cave of Quietude offers a dark refuge from woe.

• On ⸻

  The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of mourning but transforms sorrow into a tender, intimate ritual of kisses.

• Stanzas

  The poem dwells on the pain of remembering past joy, a core aspect of melancholy.

• What the Thrush Said

  The opening lines evoke the hardship of winter and darkness, yet the poem turns toward hope and the promise of spring.

• Robin Hood

  The poem is filled with a deep sense of loss for the bygone era of Robin Hood, with repeated laments for what is gone.

• A Song of Opposites

  The speaker explicitly welcomes sorrow and finds sweetness in pain, embracing melancholy as an integral part of life.

• I

  The tension and fear of being overheard by the jealous old man, casting a shadow over the lovers' tryst.

• Oh, I Am Frighten'd with Most Hateful Thoughts!

  The speaker's hateful thoughts and anxious tone convey a deep melancholy about potential loss of ideal beauty.

• Song: The Stranger Lighted from His Steed

  The lady's maid receives tokens and a kiss as the stranger leaves, hinting at loss and the fleeting nature of the encounter.

• Faery Songs

  The second song is a dirge filled with woe over the queen's approaching death and the loss of spring's delights.

• II

  The dirge and lamentation for the queen's passing evoke deep sorrow and melancholy.

• To a Lady Seen for a Few Moments at Vauxhall

  The speaker's sweet memories are tinged with grief, as the recollection of the lady eclipses present joys.

• Epistle to John Hamilton Reynolds

  Keats expresses a deep melancholy arising from seeing 'too far into the sea' and perceiving the eternal destruction in nature, which haunts him even amid spring's beauty.

• Isabella, or the Pot of Basil

  Isabella's profound grief and eventual death from sorrow after losing Lorenzo and the basil pot.

• Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil I

  The lovers' nightly weeping and malady reflect a pervasive melancholy in their love.

• IV

  The sad plight and honeyless days evoke a mood of melancholy and unfulfilled longing.

• V

  Isabella's sickly appearance and the metaphor of a young mother's thinness evoke deep melancholy.

• VII

  Lorenzo's waking misery and Isabel's silent worry evoke a deep sense of sorrow and melancholy.

• VIII

  Lorenzo's speech is filled with grief and a sense of impending doom.

• XIII

  The distress of Isabella and the silent suffering of Dido underscore the melancholy inherent in love's aftermath.

• XIX

  The theme is described as 'piteous' and the glooms are 'quiet,' evoking a somber, mournful atmosphere.

• Chapter XX

  A tone of mourning and gentle apology pervades the request to continue the tale.

• XXIX

  Isabel is plunged into sorrow as she is told she will not see Lorenzo for days, with the promise of perpetual grief.

• Isabel's Lament

  Isabel's profound grief and solitary weeping dominate the passage.

• XXXI

  The chapter emphasizes Isabel's sorrow and the tragic passion that overtakes her heart.

• XXXII

  The west wind's 'roundelay of death' and the decay of Isabel evoke a melancholic tone.

• XXXIII

  Isabel's sorrow and the brothers' guilt-ridden dreams reflect deep melancholy.

• XXXIV

  The chapter explores the painful awakening from ignorance to a gnawing sense of loss and despair.

• XXXVI

  The ghostly speech is filled with piteousness and languor, evoking deep sorrow.

• XXXVII

  The chapter dwells on the horrid woof of dark time, murderous spite, and the memory of Lorenzo's fatal stabbing.

• XXXIX

  The speaker's profound isolation and sorrow are conveyed through imagery of shadow, solitude, and painful alienation from life's sounds.

• XLI

  The chapter is steeped in sorrow as the Spirit mourns and Isabella wakes in pain.

• XLII

  The speaker contrasts simple misery with the deeper sorrow of crime and betrayal.

• XLIII

  The dismal forest-hearse and Isabel's plan to sing a lullaby to the clay evoke deep sorrow.

• XLIV

  Isabel's feverish smile and the discovery of Lorenzo's grave evoke deep sorrow and melancholy.

• XLV

  Isabella's kneeling by Lorenzo exemplifies deep sorrow and melancholy, surpassing ordinary pity for the dead.

• XLVI

  The scene is steeped in sorrow as Isabel confronts the murderous spot and her grief.

• XLVII

  Isabel's actions—kissing a soiled glove with a chill lip and freezing it against her bone—embody profound sorrow and melancholy.

• XLVIII

  Isabel's silent, relentless labor over the basil pot embodies deep sorrow and melancholic devotion.

• LI

  Isabel's constant sighing and weeping over the basil plant reflects deep sorrow and melancholy.

• LII

  The act of watering the basil with tears underscores the pervasive sorrow of the chapter.

• LIII

  Isabel's profound grief causes her to lose touch with the world around her, highlighting the all-consuming nature of sorrow.

• LIV

  The basil plant thrives on Isabel's tears and fears, embodying her sorrow and melancholy.

• Chapter LV

  The chapter directly addresses Melancholy and calls for despondent music and sighs.

• LVI

  The chapter invokes the muse of tragedy and dwells on Isabel's impending death with mournful tones.

• LVII

  Isabel's unceasing tears and the withering palm symbolize profound grief and the decay of beauty under sorrow.

• LVIII

  Isabel's drooping posture and fixation on the basil plant embody a deep, inexplicable sorrow that isolates her from worldly pleasures.

• LIX

  Isabel's constant weeping and patient mourning over the basil plant embody deep sorrow.

• LXI

  The chapter is a direct appeal to Melancholy and Music to mourn Isabel's impending death.

• LXII

  The chapter is steeped in Isabel's sorrowful lament and melancholic search for the stolen basil.

• LXIII

  The entire chapter is steeped in sorrow, with Isabel's pining and the mournful ditty that spreads through the country.

• On Visiting the Tomb of Burns

  The speaker feels pain and a sense of sin, and the beauty is tinged with a dead hue of sickness and pride.

• Meg Merrilies

  Despite her free life, there is a melancholic undertone in her solitary existence and the final line 'She died full long agone.'

• Lines Written in the Highlands After a Visit to Burns's Country

  The poem dwells on a 'deeper Joy' that is 'more solemn' and 'more parching,' blending pleasure with a sense of loss and the weight of memory.

• Written Upon the Top of Ben Nevis

  The pervasive mist and the speaker's self-description as a 'poor witless elf' convey a deep melancholy about the opacity of existence and the futility of seeking clarity.

• To Thomas Keats

  The speaker contrasts the joy of the wedding party with his own sadness, ending with 'Sad tears am shedding.'

• On Hearing the Bag-Pipe and Seeing “The Stranger” Played at Inverary

  Both the bag-pipe's mournful notes and the stranger's sighs evoke a deep sense of melancholy and emotional conflict.

• Song

  A tone of deep sadness pervades the poem as the speaker mourns the dove's death and its possible sorrow.

• Song: Spirit Here That Reignest!

  The spirit is described as one that 'mournest' and the speaker is 'passion-struck' into 'pale dominions,' evoking melancholy.

• Hyperion

  The entire chapter is steeped in profound sorrow, from Thea's weeping to Hyperion's anguish and the Titans' collective mourning in their cavern.

• Book I

  The chapter is steeped in sorrow, from Saturn's desolation to Thea's weeping and Hyperion's ominous unease.

• Book III

  Apollo's tears and anguish, and the Muse's directive to leave the Titans' sorrow, underscore a pervasive melancholy.

• I

  The bitter cold and the Beadsman's solitary prayer evoke a mood of melancholy and spiritual longing.

• XVIII

  Angela's lament over her own frailty and impending death, and the deep sorrowing that moves Porphyro, underscore the chapter's melancholic tone.

• Chapter XXI

  Angela's fear and the 'agues in her brain' suggest the sorrowful and anxious undertones of the clandestine meeting.

• XXIII

  The imagery of a tongueless nightingale dying heart-stifled evokes deep sorrow and melancholy.

• XXXV

  Madeline's lament over Porphyro's changed state and her fear of eternal woe evoke deep sorrow and melancholy.

• XL

  The flickering lamp, gusty floor, and besieging wind create a melancholic and tense atmosphere.

• XLII

  The Baron's nightmares and the grim fates of the minor characters evoke a deep sense of sorrow and melancholy.

• The Eve of St. Mark

  The poem's atmosphere is one of quiet gloom and solitude, as Bertha reads alone in the darkening room, her shadow casting eerie forms, and the city falls silent.

• Ode on Indolence

  The poem's tone is wistful and resigned, as the speaker bids farewell to the figures and embraces a state of nothingness.

• II

  The numbness and lack of pleasure or pain suggest a deep melancholy and emotional detachment.

• III

  The speaker's aching desire and the blame heaped upon Poesy evoke a melancholic longing.

• Chapter IV

  A tone of melancholy pervades as the speaker dismisses love and ambition as folly or fever-fit.

• VI

  The farewell to the ghosts carries a tone of melancholy, as the speaker rejects sentimental praise but acknowledges the fleeting nature of these phantoms.

• Ode on Melancholy

  The poem directly explores the nature of melancholy, advising against avoidance and instead urging a deep, sensory engagement with sorrow.

• I

  The speaker addresses the 'wakeful anguish of the soul' and cautions against numbing sorrow.

• II

  The chapter personifies melancholy as a sudden, overwhelming force and advises embracing it through sensory experience.

• III

  Melancholy is personified as having a shrine in the temple of Delight, emphasizing the coexistence of sorrow and joy.

• Sonnet: Why Did I Laugh To-Night?

  The speaker's despair is evident as he moans in darkness, unable to find meaning or solace from heaven, hell, or his own heart.

• Ode to Fanny

  The poem is suffused with melancholy, from the speaker's 'aching' gaze to the despair of potential rejection.

• La Belle Dame Sans Merci

  The knight's solitary, sorrowful state is emphasized by the withering landscape and his own haggard appearance.

• Chapter I

  The opening lines depict a scene of desolation and personal anguish, with the withered sedge and silent birds reinforcing a mood of deep sorrow.

• II

  The wight's haggard and woe-begone appearance evokes deep sorrow.

• III

  The anguish and fever dew convey deep sorrow and melancholy over the beloved's decline.

• IX

  The dream is described as the 'latest' and is met with a lament ('Ah! woe betide!'), evoking deep melancholy.

• XI

  The haunting vision and lonely awakening evoke deep melancholy.

• XII

  The speaker's solitary sojourn and the desolate imagery of withered sedge and silent birds convey deep sorrow and melancholy.

• To Sleep

  The poem is a plea for escape from the 'woes' and 'curious conscience' that haunt the speaker, reflecting deep melancholy.

• IV

  The speaker makes a moan upon the midnight hours, expressing a melancholy longing for a lost sacred past.

• Ode to a Nightingale

  The poem is steeped in a sense of weariness, fever, and fret, highlighting the speaker's melancholy.

• Ode to a Nightingale

  The speaker's aching heart and drowsy numbness reflect a deep melancholy, contrasting with the nightingale's happiness.

• III

  The chapter dwells on the weariness, fever, and fret of life, with youth growing pale and dying, and thoughts full of sorrow.

• VI

  The speaker's half-in-love attitude toward death and the melancholy tone of the stanza evoke deep sorrow.

• VIII

  The word 'forlorn' tolls like a bell, pulling the speaker back to his solitary, melancholic self.

• To Autumn

  The wailful choir of gnats and the passing of summer's warmth infuse the poem with a gentle melancholy.

• Sonnet: The Day Is Gone

  A deep sense of melancholy pervades as the speaker reflects on the fleeting nature of beauty and joy.

• To Fanny

  The speaker's anguish and despair at the prospect of being a 'wretched thrall' in idle misery.

• Lines to Fanny

  The poem is steeped in sorrow as the speaker struggles with despair, describing a 'hell' and 'dismal cares'.

• Hyperion: A Vision

  The entire vision is steeped in sorrow, from Saturn's lament to Moneta's tears and the desolate temple.

• Canto II

  Big tears are shed in melancholy realms; the Titans' woe is 'too huge for mortal tongue,' and Hyperion's palace is filled with fear and ache.

• Chapter X

  The chapter opens with a figure grieving deeply, her tears and sorrow central to the passage.

• XIX

  Elfinan's weary heart sinks as he contemplates his fate, filled with melancholy.

• XLVIII

  The Emperor weeps and is in distress over his love

• LI

  The monarch's sadness and fainting spell evoke a sense of melancholy.

• To George Keats

  The speaker's wasted form and fevered cheek, along with the nearness of death, evoke a melancholic tone.