"La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by John Keats

John Keats was an English Romantic poet. He was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. "La Belle Dame sans Merci" ("The Beautiful Lady Without Mercy") is a ballad  by John Keats in 1819. The title is in French and it was derived from the title of a 15th-century poem by Alain Chartier called La Belle Dame sans Mercy.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
       Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
       And no birds sing.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
       So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
       And the harvest’s done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
       With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
       Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
       Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
       And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
       And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
       And made sweet moan

I set her on my pacing steed,
       And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
       A faery’s song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
       And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
       ‘I love thee true’.

She took me to her Elfin grot,
       And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
       With kisses four.

And there she lullèd me asleep,
       And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!—
The latest dream I ever dreamt
       On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
       Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
       Hath thee in thrall!’

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
       With horrid warning gapèd wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
       On the cold hill’s side.

And this is why I sojourn here,
       Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
       And no birds sing.

The poem starts with the question. There is unnamed speaker who is asking question to the knight. So he is asking to the knight that what is bothering to him and why he is roaming alone and why he looks pale. The weather is also dry as the sedge in the lake is dried and no birds are singing. So speaker is asking to the knight that why he is loitering alone in this type of season.

In second stanza, speaker is repeating his question that what is bothering the knight. Why the knight is looking so worried and miserable? The season of harvest is over and now squirrel also has its food.

In third stanza, the speaker says that he sees lily on the eyebrow of knight. With that lily he can also see that knight is suffering from some illness. Then speaker says that the cheek of knight is looking aged like faded rose.

From fourth stanza, the knight is speaking. Knight says that he met a lady in the meads. The lady was so beautiful. She was looking like a fairy child. Then knight describes her appearance and says that she has long hair, light foot and wild eyes.

In next stanza knight says that he made garland for her hand and bracelet and fragrant zone also. Then they both made love and the lady was sweetly moaning.

In next stanza, knight sat her on his horse and he was walking besides the horse. Knight was so amazed by the beauty of the lady that he didn’t see anything else but her. The lady also was singing fairy song by bending towards the knight.

In next stanza, the lady find knight some food to eat like roots, honey and manna. The lady was speaking the language which knight was not understanding. Though he could not understand what she was speaking, he was sure that she said him that she loves him. So knight is so mad after the beauty of lady that he assumes that lady also loved him.

In next stanza, the lady took knight to some cave. In that cave the lady started crying and she get sore. After that knight shut the wild eyes of lady and then gives her four kisses on her eyes.

In next stanza, the lady made knight asleep by singing lullaby. At that time knight saw a dream. The knight was in sudden shock and he thought that great misery has happened to him. He was having this dream for the first time at cold hill side.

In next stanza knight says that he saw some kings, princes and warriors in his dream. Those all were in very bad condition. They all were looking death pale. They all were crying that the lady without mercy has had you under her power.

In next stanza knight says that all kings, princes and warriors lips are starved. The dream was horrifying, which makes knight awake suddenly. But when knight woke up he found him self on that cold hill side.

In last stanza, knight says that this is the reason why he is loitering alone where everything is dry and no birds are singing. Last three lines of the last stanza is the same as the first stanza. So poem ends the way it was started.

The poem is divided in 12 stanzas 4 lines each. The poem has ABCB rhyme scheme. It is a ballad. First three stanzas of the poem are spoken by unnamed speaker and from fourth to the twelfth are spoken by knight.

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"The Slave's Dream" by H. W. Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807 and died on March 24, 1882. He was an American poet and professor. He was the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the Fireside Poets from New England. “The Slave’s Dream” is a poem written by Longfellow.

The poem starts with the description of slave. In first stanza we can see that slave is lying besides the untethered rice. He has sickle in his hand. We can assume that he was working in a rice farm with sickle and he got tired and now he is lying on sand. Further we come to know that he has nothing to wear on his torso. He has matted hair. He is feeling sleepy and his vision is covered by mist and there he sees his native land. Here poet has used word again, which means that this is not the first time the slave is seeing his native land.

In second stanza, now we are in the dream of slave. He first saw the flow of Niger river. Beneath the palm trees, the king again stride and he heard the tinkling of caravans, which are returning from the mountain road. Here we can assume that the slave used to be king in his native land. We can also say that he is feeling like king, when he is in his native land.

In third stanza, the slave watches his dark eyed queen. She is standing among her children. The children are so happy that they hug and kiss their father. After that they are holding hands of their father. The slave is so deep in his dream that he started crying and a tear fell from his eye on sand and disappear. This shows how much slave misses his family and his native land.

In fourth stanza, the slave is on horse and he is riding the horse at very furious speed. His is riding on horse along side of Niger river’s bank. His horse has bridle reins of golden chains and as he is riding it was making noise when it clashes. He has scabbard of steel with him. With every leap of horse that scabbard is smiting on stallion’s flank.

In next stanza, he saw flamingos flying. That flight of flamingos look like a blood red flag. From morning till the night he followed the flamingos on the tamarind field. Then he saw a ocean and huts of Caffre.

In next stanza, it is night and he heard the roar of a lion and scream of hyena. The roar and scream both together might be taken as his inner self and outer self. We may can say that slave’s heart is brave like lion and it roars but from outside he is chained and that’s why he screams. Then he saw the river horse, crushing the reeds besides hidden streams. These all things passed before his eyes like glorious roll of drums and it seems like triumph of his dream.

In next stanza, he saw forest with ten thousand (myriad) tongues shouting for liberty. The blast of desert also crying in wild and free voice. He is so involved in his dream that he started and smile with strong and uncontrolled delight.

In last stanza, we are suddenly out of his dream and in reality. Here the slave is not feeling his master’s whip. He also can not feel the burning heat of the day. Because now he is dead. Now there is only his lifeless body. His soul has broken and thrown away the fetter which his body was wearing. After lot of suffering the slave at the end has died. His soul become free but he was not free by his body.

 The poem is about the life of a slave. It is very pessimistic poem. It tries to say that there is no other way then death that a slave can be free. It gives message that only death can free them from their suffering.

It was written in 1842. The poem has 8 stanzas 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABCBDB.

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"The Fly" by William Blake

William Blake was born on 28th November 1757 and died on 12th August 1827. He was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His work “Songs of experience and of innocence” is famous.

In first stanza poet is addressing a fly, whom he just killed thoughtlessly. The fly is buzzing in summer and speaker, without giving his though another chance just killed the fly.

In second stanza speaker is comparing himself with the fly. He asks the questions such as, am I not a fly like you? Or are you not a man like me? Here speaker’s comparison seems so weird and meaningless.

In third stanza speaker elaborate his way of comparing his life with fly. He says that he also dance, drink and sing same like a fly. Further he says that he will keep doing all those things until some blind or thoughtless hand will kill him, same way he killed the fly. Here speaker is referring to god, when he says blind hand. In this stanza poet is talking about the helplessness which human has front of god. The fly feels helpless front of human and can’t stop any hand coming to kill it, same way humans are helpless front of god, as they also can’t stop god’s hand coming to kill them.

In next stanza speaker talks about the thoughts. He says that though is life, breath and strength. Without ability of thinking, human’s life would have been miserable. One can not imagine a life where there is no thinking. But here speaker says that thinking also leads to the thoughts of death. Those thoughts of death are killing people from inside. Because of those danger thoughts people forget to live in present moment and don’t live happily. Then here speaker is talking about living in present moment and not over thinking about future and worries of future.

In last stanza speaker says that, if he started living the life in present moment, then he also will be like a happy fly. If he is living in present moment and he is living happily then it will not matter if he live or dies. In this last stanza poet says that if he is happy in present moment then if death comes suddenly, he will not regret it. He will be happy in both ways, either he lives or dies.

The poem has been divided into 5 stanzas having four lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABCB.

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"I love all beauteous things" by Robert Bridges

Robert Seymour Bridges was born 23rd October 1844 and died on 21st April 1930. He was Britain's poet laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life.  “I love all beauteous things” is a poem by Robert Bridges. This poem has two stanzas five lines each.

In first stanza poet talks about his love for beautiful things. Poet always seek and adore beautiful things around him. He is thankful to the god for all these beautiful things. He says that when humans seek and adore beautiful things, god can not have better praise than that. He also says that when humans are busy all day and then when they see beautiful things around them, they feel respectful towards god. Here we can also see hasty days as last days of human. So it also can be said that human in their last days feel honoured for having to see beautiful things.

Moving towards the second stanza, poet also wants to make something and he also wants to feel the joy of creating something new. Then he says that it might happen that the thing which he created might not have any meaning tomorrow or it may seem like a empty words of dreams which does not make any sense. But he wants to feel the delight of creation.

In this small poem of two stanza poet praise and thank the god for making every beautiful thing. After seeing all the beautiful things created by god poet also desires to make something and wants to feel the happiness in creating something new. The creation of poem might not seem to have any meaning afterwards but poet can enjoy the process of creating something.

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"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke

Rupert Chawner Brooke was born on 3rd August 1887 and died on 23rd April 1915. He was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". He was also known for his boyish good looks, which were said to have prompted the Irish poet W. B. Yeats to describe him as "the handsomest young man in England".

The speaker of the poem is a soldier. The soldier is telling the readers that if he will die in war then think only in certain ways of him. Then he says that if he dies in foreign land than that corner of land will be forever England. In the rich earth of foreign land the richer dust of soldier will be concealed. The dust which is born in England. The dust whom England has shaped, made aware of the whole world and gave her flowers to spread love and her ways to roam around. The body of soldier, which is raised in England and which is breathing English air. The body which is purified by the rivers and baptized by the sun of England. In this first stanza poet is talking about the superiority of his motherland and how his motherland has raised him, and gave him everything he wants.

In second stanza soldier is talking about the eternal happiness. As the soldier is dead, all evil of heart is vanished. Now there is pulse in eternal mind. In this eternal mind soldier again have all the thoughts which England has given to him through out his life. The sights and sound of England and the dreams which are as beautiful as the day of England, the laughter with friends and gentleness, soldier can see all these things in his eternal mind. At last the heart of soldier is at peace because he is under the English heaven.

This poem is a sonnet. Sonnets have 14 lines. Its first stanza is octave and second is sestet. If we look at the stanza structure this is Italian sonnet. But the octave follows the rhyme scheme of Shakespearean sonnet, which is ABABCDCD. Sestet has different rhyme scheme then Shakespearean sonnet which is EFGEFG. So this is blend of two types of sonnet.

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"She walks in beauty" by Lord Byron

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron known simply as Lord Byron, was an English poet, and politician. He was born on 22nd January 1788 and died on 19th April 1824. He is regarded as one of the greatest English poets and remains widely read and influential. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became popular.

In first stanza poet is comparing the beauty of lady with the night. The night which has starry sky and cloudless atmosphere. There is a mixture of dark and light. The night is dark and the stars has light. This best combination of dark and light both mixes in her skin and her eyes. We can say she might has got dark eyes and light skin tone. This mixture of dark and light is like a soft and pleasing light. It is not like the light of bright sunny day.

In second stanza poet says that the nameless lady has perfect balance of dark and light. If anyone tries to give one more shade of dark or if anyone takes out one ray of light, the whole beauty will be shattered. This shows that lady has perfect graceful beauty. When her lock of black hair waves over her face, it all lighten ups. Her face is expressing every thought very calmly and sweetly. Because of that calmness over her face poet says that the place from where those thoughts has come, or in short her mind should be very pure and precious. Because it expresses every thought very gracefully. So in this stanza with the outer beauty poet also praises the inner beauty of the lady.

In third stanza poet talks about the cheek and forehead of lady. The look of lady’s face is so calm and soft but then even it is eloquent. The lady has the smile which can win everyone’s heart. The skin tone of lady is glowing. These all beauty of lady tells about the good days which she has spent. Above all these things the lady has peace of mind. Her love is also innocent. It does not have any cunningness. So in this poem, poet starts with the appreciation of outer beauty, but at the end it says that the outer beauty is the result of the inner beauty.

The poem is divided in 3 stanzas 6 lines each. It has ABABAB rhyme scheme. It is written in iambic tetrameter.

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"Virtue" by George Herbert

George Herbert was a English religious poet, a major metaphysical poet, notable for the purity and effectiveness of his choice of words. He was born on April 3, 1593, Montgomery Castle, Wales and died on March 1, 1633 England. He studies at Cambridge university. He died from TB.

The poet starts the poem with the description of very pleasant day. The day which is sweet, calm, cool and bright. It looks like the marriage of the earth and sky. But in third line poet says that the dew will weep when the night will come. Because the day must die. So in this stanza poet wants to say that it doesn’t matter how beautiful the day is, it will definitely die.

In second stanza, poet is talking about the sweet rose, whose colour is very dark red. The colour looks like angry and brave. These both represents dark red colour. The colour is so dark that if someone carelessly gaze towards the rose, it will give the viewer tears. But here again poet says that the roots of that rose is already in grave and the rose will also die. Here again poet wants to say that the beauty or dark red colour could not save the rose forever. It will also die.

In third stanza poet talks about the spring season. The best season of the year, which is full of sweet days and roses. It seems like a box of sweet fully organized. But then again poet changes the tone. My music here means this poem which poet has written. Poet says that after reading this poem readers must have come to know that everything and all must die. So in these three stanzas poet is talking about the mortality of the world. But last stanza says something different.

In last stanza poet says that only a soul which is virtuous and sweet, like the seasoned wood will live forever, same way the virtuous soul will live. Then it does not matter that the world will turn to coal and everything have died, but virtuous soul will primarily lives. So in this poem poet shows the superiority of following virtues and how only virtues can save our soul can survive.

The poem has 4 stanzas 4 lines each. It is written in iambic tetrameter. It has ABAB rhyme scheme.

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"Daffodils" by William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth  was a major English Romantic poet. He was born on 7th April 1770, and died on 23rd April 1850. He is famous for his collaborated work with Samuel Taylor Coleridge Lyrical Ballads(1798). He is also famous for using common man’s language in his poetries. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" also commonly known as "Daffodils" is a lyric poem by William Wordsworth. It is Wordsworth's most famous work.

In first stanza poet is wandering lonely as a cloud. As cloud do not have any pre designed road to travel, same way poet is not certain about his way. As cloud floats over high valleys and hills poet also wants to do the same. When the poet was wandering he saw a host of daffodils. Daffodils. Are yellow in colour and nay be that is why poet has called daffodils golden. The daffodils were besides the lake and beneath the trees. There was a cool breeze, and with breeze daffodils were fluttering and it seems like they were dancing.

In second stanza, poet says that there were large amount of daffodils which are in never ending line. He compares this with the stars in milky way. There endless stars in milky way which keep shining and twinkling, same way daffodils are also in never ending line along side of a bay. In last two line of second stanza poet says that he saw ten thousand daffodils in a glance, which are going back and forth with the breeze. Here use of numbers is a exaggeration. So poet has used exaggeration in second stanza.

In third stanza poet is describing the joy which daffodils have in dancing with breeze. There is lake besides the daffodils and the waves in lake also danced. But daffodils out did the waves in happiness. Poet here says that he only can be happy in this delightful company of daffodils. The poet has very pleasurable scene in front of his eyes and he is gazing on it. Then he had thought that how much wealth this show has brought to him. The wealth is not material wealth. It is wealth of emotions and of joy. These daffodils has provided a great wealth to the poet.

In last stanza poet is at his home. Now he is talking about the nostalgia which daffodils gives him. He says that often when he is lying on his couch in relaxed mood, many times he see the daffodils from his inward eye. The picture of daffodils is in the mind of poet and he see it when he is in solitude. After seeing that picture of daffodils, poet’s heart fills with pleasure and it also started dancing with the daffodils.

The poem has 4 stanzas 6 lines each. It follows the ABABCC rhyme scheme. It has iambic tetrameter. In this poem poet has done personification of daffodils by calling them dancing in happiness.

AT the end we can say that this poem is about nature and how nature provides happiness to the human. Wordsworth also has given the definition of poetry and this poem is the best example of that definition.

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"Light" by F. W. Bourdillon

Francis William Bourdillon was born on 22 March 1852 at England and died on 13 January 1921 at England. He was a British poet and translator. Bourdillon is known for his poetry, and in particular, for the single short poem "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes".

“The Night has a thousand eyes” also has another name “Light”. The poem has 2 stanzas, 4 lines each. It follows the “abab” rhyme scheme.

The poem starts with the night. Poet says that night has thousand eyes. Here those eyes means stars. So first stanza says that night has thousand of stars but day only has one star (eye), The Sun. But those thousand of stars can not take place of Sun. Last two lines of first stanza says that when sun sets, the light of whole world dies. The world went in to the darkness. Here poet emphasize on the importance of sun in the world.

In second stanza mind takes the place of night. Now poet talks about humans. Here mind has thousand of eyes. As mind deals with everything related to body and it has thousand of thoughts, so those thoughts are here eyes of mind. But heart only has one emption, which is love. In last two lines poet says that liveliness of whole life dies with love. In this stanza poet emphasize on the importance of love in human life.

Poet here has used personification. He called stars, eyes of the night. So here poet has given human characteristics to the non living things, which is called personification.

At the end, we can  ay that poet in this poem has talked about two important thing, without one can not live. The Earth will die if sun disappear and same way the human will die from inside if there is no love in life. Poet also talks about, how other things can not replace the one. Stars are in great quantity, but they can not replace sun. Same way mind functions whole body but it can not take place of heart and love.

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