Melancholy by John Fletcher | Melancholy Poem | Explanation | Summary | Key Points | Word Meaning | Questions Answers | Critical Appreciation | Free PDF Download – Easy Literary Lessons
Melancholy
HENCE, all you vain delights,
As short as are the nights
Wherein you spend your folly!
There’s naught in this life sweet,
If men were wise to see’t,
But only melancholy—
O sweetest melancholy!
Welcome, folded arms and fixed eyes,
A sight that piercing mortifies,
A look that’s fasten’d to the ground,
A tongue chain’d up without a sound!
Fountain-heads and pathless groves,
Places which pale passion loves!
Moonlight walks, when all the fowls
Are warmly housed, save bats and owls!
A midnight bell, a parting groan—
These are the sounds we feed upon:
Then stretch our bones in a still gloomy valley,
Nothing ‘s so dainty sweet as lovely melancholy.
Melancholy by John Fletcher: YouTube Link
Melancholy by John Fletcher Analysis
HENCE, all you vain delights,
As short as are the nights
Wherein you spend your folly!
Explanation
The poem begins with a forceful dismissal of fleeting pleasures, like parties or material possessions. The speaker uses an imperative (“HENCE”) to demand their departure and compares their brevity to the short span of nights spent pursuing them.
Poetic Device
Simile: comparing pleasures to short nights.
Metaphor: “follies” representing meaningless pursuits.
There’s naught in this life sweet,
If men were wise to see’t,
Explanation
The speaker asserts that life holds no true sweetness if one truly understood it. This line suggests a disillusionment with the world and its superficial joys.
But only melancholy—
O sweetest melancholy!
Explanation
A striking shift occurs as the speaker embraces melancholy as the only source of true sweetness in life. The exclamation (“O sweetest melancholy!”) expresses deep affection for this unconventional choice.
Poetic Device
Oxymoron: “sweetest” melancholy.
Welcome, folded arms and fixed eyes,
A sight that piercing mortifies,
Explanation
The speaker welcomes physical manifestations of melancholy, like crossed arms and fixed gaze, even though they are sad and morbid. This suggests a preference for introspection over outward expression.
Poetic Device
Metaphor: “folded arms and fixed eyes” represent sadness.
Imagery: folded arms and fixed eyes
A look that’s fasten’d to the ground,
Explanation
This line continues describing the melancholic state, emphasizing a downward gaze signifying introspection and detachment from the world.
A tongue chain’d up without a sound!
Explanation
Melancholy silences communication, leaving the person lost in their own thoughts. This suggests a withdrawal from social interaction.
Poetic Device
Metaphor: “A tongue chain’d up” to illustrate the silence of melancholy.
Fountain-heads and pathless groves,
Places which pale passion loves!
Explanation
The poem finds solace in secluded natural spaces, contrasting them with the intense emotions of “pale passion.” This suggests that melancholy seeks serenity in nature.
Poetic Device
Personification: “pale passion” loves.
Imagery: Fountain-heads and pathless groves
Moonlight walks, when all the fowls
Are warmly housed, save bats and owls!
Explanation
Melancholy enjoys nighttime solitude, preferring the company of nocturnal creatures like bats and owls. This suggests a preference for the unconventional and a connection with the darkness.
Poetic Device
Personification: “moonlight walks”.
Imagery: Moonlight
A midnight bell, a parting groan—
These are the sounds we feed upon:
Explanation
The poem finds sustenance in melancholic sounds, like the solemn toll of a midnight bell and the sorrowful cry of parting. This suggests that sadness nourishes the speaker’s soul.
Poetic Device
Imagery: midnight bell
Then stretch our bones in a still gloomy valley,
Nothing ‘s so dainty sweet as lovely melancholy.
Explanation
Finally, the speaker embraces complete surrender to melancholy, finding pleasure even in death and darkness. This suggests a complex relationship with sadness, where it becomes both a source of sorrow and beauty.
Poetic Device
Metaphor: “stretch our bones” to suggest rest or death
Oxymoron: lovely melancholy
