# Sorrow and Melancholy in Poetry

> Theme guide for Poetry by John Keats.

Melancholy is a pervasive mood, often intertwined with beauty and pleasure, as the poems dwell on sadness, longing, and the bittersweet nature of existence.

## Where it surfaces

- [To Byron](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/sonnet-oh-how-i-love): The poem ends with a 'melodious sorrow' that brings a delicious tear, blending beauty with melancholy.
- [Sonnet to Solitude](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/on-the-sea): The invitation to brood by the cavern suggests a melancholic retreat from the world's noise into solitary contemplation.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iv): The lady's song personifies Sorrow as a constant companion, and the Cave of Quietude offers a dark refuge from woe.
- [On ⸻](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/on): The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of mourning but transforms sorrow into a tender, intimate ritual of kisses.
- [Stanzas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/stanzas): The poem dwells on the pain of remembering past joy, a core aspect of melancholy.
- [What the Thrush Said](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/a-song-of-opposites): The speaker explicitly welcomes sorrow and finds sweetness in pain, embracing melancholy as an integral part of life.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/i): The lovers' nightly weeping and malady reflect a pervasive melancholy in their love.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iv): The sad plight and honeyless days evoke a mood of melancholy and unfulfilled longing.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/v): Isabella's sickly appearance and the metaphor of a young mother's thinness evoke deep melancholy.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/vii): Lorenzo's waking misery and Isabel's silent worry evoke a deep sense of sorrow and melancholy.
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/viii): Lorenzo's speech is filled with grief and a sense of impending doom.
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xiii): The distress of Isabella and the silent suffering of Dido underscore the melancholy inherent in love's aftermath.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xix): The theme is described as 'piteous' and the glooms are 'quiet,' evoking a somber, mournful atmosphere.
- [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xx): A tone of mourning and gentle apology pervades the request to continue the tale.
- [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxx): Isabel's profound grief and solitary weeping dominate the passage.
- [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxi): The chapter emphasizes Isabel's sorrow and the tragic passion that overtakes her heart.
- [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxii): The west wind's 'roundelay of death' and the decay of Isabel evoke a melancholic tone.
- [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxiii): Isabel's sorrow and the brothers' guilt-ridden dreams reflect deep melancholy.
- [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxiv): The chapter explores the painful awakening from ignorance to a gnawing sense of loss and despair.
- [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxvi): The ghostly speech is filled with piteousness and languor, evoking deep sorrow.
- [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxvii): The chapter dwells on the horrid woof of dark time, murderous spite, and the memory of Lorenzo's fatal stabbing.
- [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxix): The speaker's profound isolation and sorrow are conveyed through imagery of shadow, solitude, and painful alienation from life's sounds.
- [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xli): The chapter is steeped in sorrow as the Spirit mourns and Isabella wakes in pain.
- [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlii): The speaker contrasts simple misery with the deeper sorrow of crime and betrayal.
- [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xliii): The dismal forest-hearse and Isabel's plan to sing a lullaby to the clay evoke deep sorrow.
- [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xliv): Isabel's feverish smile and the discovery of Lorenzo's grave evoke deep sorrow and melancholy.
- [XLV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlv): Isabella's kneeling by Lorenzo exemplifies deep sorrow and melancholy, surpassing ordinary pity for the dead.
- [XLVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlvi): The scene is steeped in sorrow as Isabel confronts the murderous spot and her grief.
- [XLVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlvii): Isabel's actions—kissing a soiled glove with a chill lip and freezing it against her bone—embody profound sorrow and melancholy.
- [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlviii): Isabel's silent, relentless labor over the basil pot embodies deep sorrow and melancholic devotion.
- [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/li): Isabel's constant sighing and weeping over the basil plant reflects deep sorrow and melancholy.
- [LII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lii): The act of watering the basil with tears underscores the pervasive sorrow of the chapter.
- [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/liii): Isabel's profound grief causes her to lose touch with the world around her, highlighting the all-consuming nature of sorrow.
- [LIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/liv): The basil plant thrives on Isabel's tears and fears, embodying her sorrow and melancholy.
- [Chapter LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lv): The chapter directly addresses Melancholy and calls for despondent music and sighs.
- [LVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lvi): The chapter invokes the muse of tragedy and dwells on Isabel's impending death with mournful tones.
- [LVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lvii): Isabel's unceasing tears and the withering palm symbolize profound grief and the decay of beauty under sorrow.
- [LVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lviii): Isabel's drooping posture and fixation on the basil plant embody a deep, inexplicable sorrow that isolates her from worldly pleasures.
- [LIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lix): Isabel's constant weeping and patient mourning over the basil plant embody deep sorrow.
- [LXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lxi): The chapter is a direct appeal to Melancholy and Music to mourn Isabel's impending death.
- [LXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lxii): The chapter is steeped in Isabel's sorrowful lament and melancholic search for the stolen basil.
- [LXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/book-i): The chapter is steeped in sorrow, from Saturn's desolation to Thea's weeping and Hyperion's ominous unease.
- [Book III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/book-iii): Apollo's tears and anguish, and the Muse's directive to leave the Titans' sorrow, underscore a pervasive melancholy.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/i): The bitter cold and the Beadsman's solitary prayer evoke a mood of melancholy and spiritual longing.
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxi): Angela's fear and the 'agues in her brain' suggest the sorrowful and anxious undertones of the clandestine meeting.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxiii): The imagery of a tongueless nightingale dying heart-stifled evokes deep sorrow and melancholy.
- [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxxv): Madeline's lament over Porphyro's changed state and her fear of eternal woe evoke deep sorrow and melancholy.
- [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xl): The flickering lamp, gusty floor, and besieging wind create a melancholic and tense atmosphere.
- [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ii): The numbness and lack of pleasure or pain suggest a deep melancholy and emotional detachment.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iii): The speaker's aching desire and the blame heaped upon Poesy evoke a melancholic longing.
- [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iv): A tone of melancholy pervades as the speaker dismisses love and ambition as folly or fever-fit.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ode-on-melancholy): The poem directly explores the nature of melancholy, advising against avoidance and instead urging a deep, sensory engagement with sorrow.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/i): The speaker addresses the 'wakeful anguish of the soul' and cautions against numbing sorrow.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ii): The chapter personifies melancholy as a sudden, overwhelming force and advises embracing it through sensory experience.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/la-belle-dame-sans-merci): The knight's solitary, sorrowful state is emphasized by the withering landscape and his own haggard appearance.
- [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ii): The wight's haggard and woe-begone appearance evokes deep sorrow.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iii): The anguish and fever dew convey deep sorrow and melancholy over the beloved's decline.
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ix): The dream is described as the 'latest' and is met with a lament ('Ah! woe betide!'), evoking deep melancholy.
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xi): The haunting vision and lonely awakening evoke deep melancholy.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xii): The speaker's solitary sojourn and the desolate imagery of withered sedge and silent birds convey deep sorrow and melancholy.
- [To Sleep](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/to-sleep): The poem is a plea for escape from the 'woes' and 'curious conscience' that haunt the speaker, reflecting deep melancholy.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iv): The speaker makes a moan upon the midnight hours, expressing a melancholy longing for a lost sacred past.
- [Ode to a Nightingale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/i): The speaker's aching heart and drowsy numbness reflect a deep melancholy, contrasting with the nightingale's happiness.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/iii): The chapter dwells on the weariness, fever, and fret of life, with youth growing pale and dying, and thoughts full of sorrow.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/vi): The speaker's half-in-love attitude toward death and the melancholy tone of the stanza evoke deep sorrow.
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/viii): The word 'forlorn' tolls like a bell, pulling the speaker back to his solitary, melancholic self.
- [To Autumn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/to-fanny): The speaker's anguish and despair at the prospect of being a 'wretched thrall' in idle misery.
- [Lines to Fanny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lines-to-fanny): The poem is steeped in sorrow as the speaker struggles with despair, describing a 'hell' and 'dismal cares'.
- [Hyperion: A Vision](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/hyperion-a-vision): The entire vision is steeped in sorrow, from Saturn's lament to Moneta's tears and the desolate temple.
- [Canto II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/x): The chapter opens with a figure grieving deeply, her tears and sorrow central to the passage.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xix): Elfinan's weary heart sinks as he contemplates his fate, filled with melancholy.
- [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xlviii): The Emperor weeps and is in distress over his love
- [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/li): The monarch's sadness and fainting spell evoke a sense of melancholy.
- [To George Keats](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/to-george-keats): The speaker's wasted form and fevered cheek, along with the nearness of death, evoke a melancholic tone.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/themes/sorrow_and_melancholy
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/themes