'L'Allegro' by John Milton

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Hence, loathed Melancholy,
............Of Cerberus and blackest Midnight born
In Stygian cave forlorn
............'Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, and sights
unholy!
Find out some uncouth cell,
............Where brooding Darkness spreads his jealous wings,
And the night-raven sings;
............There, under ebon shades and low-browed rocks,
As ragged as thy locks,
............In dark Cimmerian desert ever dwell.
But come, thou Goddess fair and free,
In heaven yclept Euphrosyne,
And by men heart-easing Mirth;
Whom lovely Venus, at a birth,
With two sister Graces more,
To ivy-crowned Bacchus bore:
Or whether (as some sager sing)
The frolic wind that breathes the spring,
Zephyr, with Aurora pIaying,
As he met her once a-Maying,
There, on beds of violets blue,
And fresh-blown roses washed in dew,
Filled her with thee,. a daughter fair,
So buxom, blithe, and debonair.
Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee
Jest, and youthful Jollity,
Quips and cranks and wanton wiles,
Nods and becks and wreathed smiles
Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,
And love to live in dimple sleek;
Sport that wrinkled Care derides,
And Laughter holding both his sides.
Come, and trip it, as you go,
On the light fantastic toe;
And in thy right hand lead with thee
The mountain-nymph, sweet Liberty;
And, if I give thee honour due,
Mirth, admit me of thy crew,
To live with her, and live with thee,
In unreproved pleasures free:
To hear the lark begin his flight,
And, singing, startle the dull night,
From his watch-tower in the skies,
Till the dappled dawn doth rise;
Then to come, in spite of sorrow,
And at my window bid good-morrow,
Through the sweet-briar or the vine,
Or the twisted eglantine;
While the cock, with lively din,
Scatters the rear of darkness thin,
And to the stack, or the barn-door,
Stoutly struts his dames before:
Oft listening how the hounds and horn
Cheerly rouse the slumbering morn,
From the side of some hoar hill,
Through the high wood echoing shrill:
Sometime walking, not unseen,
By hedgerow elms, on hillocks green,
Right against the eastern gate
Where the great Sun begins his state,
Robed in flames and amber light,
The clouds in thousand liveries dight;
While the ploughman, near at hand,
Whistles o'er the furrowed land,
And the milkmaid singeth blithe,
And the mower whets his scythe,
And every shepherd tells his tale
Under the hawthorn in the dale.
Straight mine eye hath caught new pleasures,
Whilst the landskip round it measures:
Russet lawns, and fallows grey,
Where the nibbling flocks do stray;
Mountains on whose barren breast
The labouring clouds do often rest;
Meadows trim, with daisies pied;
Shallow brooks, and rivers wide;
Towers and battlements it sees
Bosomed high in tufted trees,
Where perhaps some beauty lies,
The cynosure of neighbouring eyes.
Hard by a cottage chimney smokes
From betwixt two aged oaks,
Where Corydon and Thyrsis met
Are at their savoury dinner set
Of herbs and other country messes,
Which the neat-handed Phyllis dresses;
And then in haste her bower she leaves,
With Thestylis to bind the sheaves;
Or, if the earlier season lead,
To the tanned haycock in the mead.
Sometimes, with secure delight,
The upland hamlets will invite,
When the merry bells ring round,
And the jocund rebecks sound
To many a youth and many a maid
Dancing in the chequered shade,
And young and old come forth to play
On a sunshine holiday,
Till the livelong daylight fail:
Then to the spicy nut-brown ale,
With stories told of many a feat,
How Faery Mab the junkets eat.
She was pinched and pulled, she said;
And he, by Friar's lantern led,
Tells how the drudging goblin sweat
To earn his cream-bowl duly set,
When in one night, ere glimpse of morn,
His shadowy flail hath threshed the corn
That ten day-labourers could not end;
Then lies him down, the lubber fiend,
And, stretched out all the chimney's length,
Basks at the fire his hairy strength,
And crop-full out of doors he flings,
Ere the first cock his matin rings.
Thus done the tales, to bed they creep,
By whispering winds soon lulled asleep.
Towered cities please us then,
And the busy hum of men,
Where throngs of knights and barons bold,
In weeds of peace, high triumphs hold
With store of ladies, whose bright eyes
Rain influence, and judge the prize
Of wit or arms, while both contend
To win her grace whom all commend.
There let Hymen oft appear
In saffron robe, with taper clear,
And pomp, and feast, and revelry,
With mask and antique pageantry;
Such sights as youthful poets dream
On summer eves by haunted stream.
Then to the well-trod stage anon,
If Jonson's learned sock be on,
Or sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy's child,
Warble his native wood-notes wild.
And ever, against eating cares,
Lap me in soft Lydian airs,
Married to immortal verse,
Such as the meeting soul may pierce,
In notes with many a winding bout
Of linked sweetness long drawn out
With wanton heed and giddy cunning,
The melting voice through mazes running,
Untwisting all the chains that tie
The hidden soul of harmony;
That Orpheus' self may heave his head
From golden slumber on a bed
Of heaped Elysian flowers, and hear
Such strains as would have won the ear
Of Pluto to have quite set free
His half-regained Eurydice.
These delights if thou canst give,
Mirth, with thee I mean to live.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Exciting Literary Criticism of John Milton's "L'Allegro"

As I perused the pages of John Milton's "L'Allegro," I was struck by the beauty of the language and the imagery he employed in painting a picture of the ideal joyful life. The poem is a celebration of mirth and cheerfulness, a hymn to the pleasures of life. It is a fascinating literary work that has stood the test of time and continues to be studied and admired today.

Background Information

John Milton was a 17th-century English poet, renowned for his epic poem "Paradise Lost." Born in London in 1608, Milton was a deeply religious man who spent most of his life writing poetry that reflected his faith and his belief in the power of literature to transform the world. "L'Allegro" was written in 1631, when Milton was just 23 years old, and is one of his earliest works.

The poem is written in rhymed couplets and consists of 38 stanzas. It is divided into two parts, "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso," which explore two different moods or temperaments. "L'Allegro" celebrates joy and cheerfulness, while "Il Penseroso" reflects on the pleasures of contemplation and solitude.

Analysis of "L'Allegro"

"L'Allegro" is a beautiful poem that celebrates the joy of life. Milton uses vivid imagery and rich language to paint a picture of a world filled with happiness and mirth. The poem begins by invoking the spirit of Mirth and calling on her to come and join the poet in his celebration of life:

Hence, loathed Melancholy,
Of Cerberus and blackest Midnight born
In Stygian cave forlorn,
'Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, and sights unholy,
Find out some uncouth cell,
Where brooding Darkness spreads his jealous wings,
And the night-raven sings;
There, under ebon shades and low-brow'd rocks,
As ragged as thy locks,
In dark Cimmerian desert ever dwell.

In this opening stanza, Milton sets the tone for the poem by contrasting the joy and cheerfulness of the rest of the poem with the darkness and gloom of Melancholy. He paints a picture of a world filled with "horrid shapes" and "shrieks" that stands in stark contrast to the world of joy and happiness he is about to describe.

Milton then goes on to describe the joys of the morning, with its "rosy-fingered dawn" and the "jocund rebeck" that calls the shepherds to their work. He describes the beauty of the countryside and the delights of country life, with its "plenteous hills" and "kine" and "flocks" and "honeyed heath."

Throughout the poem, Milton employs a range of literary devices to create a sense of joy and happiness. He uses repetition to emphasize the joys of life, as in the lines:

Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee
Jest, and youthful Jollity,
Quips, and Cranks, and wanton Wiles,
Nods, and Becks, and wreathed Smiles,
Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,
And love to live in dimple sleek;
Sport that wrinkled Care derides,
And Laughter holding both his sides.

Here, the repetition of "and" and the use of alliteration creates a sense of playful abandon and joy. The poem is also filled with colorful metaphors and similes, as when Milton compares the "yellow-brown" leaves of autumn to the "tanned forehead of a summer's day." These images help to create a sense of the beauty and richness of life.

Themes in "L'Allegro"

One of the central themes of "L'Allegro" is the power of joy and happiness to transform the world. Milton sees joy as a force for good that can banish darkness and gloom and bring light and happiness into people's lives. He celebrates the pleasures of life and the joys of nature, arguing that these are the things that make life worth living.

Another theme of the poem is the importance of balance and moderation in life. While Milton celebrates the joys of life, he also recognizes the dangers of excess and warns against the dangers of overindulgence. He recognizes that there is a time and a place for everything, and that it is important to find a balance between work and play, between solitude and society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, John Milton's "L'Allegro" is a beautiful and inspiring poem that celebrates the joys of life. Through its vivid imagery and rich language, Milton creates a sense of joy and happiness that is infectious and uplifting. The poem is a hymn to the pleasures of life and a reminder of the transformative power of joy and happiness. It is a literary work that has stood the test of time and continues to inspire and delight readers today.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

L'Allegro: A Celebration of Joy and Life

John Milton's L'Allegro is a poem that celebrates the joys of life and the beauty of nature. Written in 1631, the poem is a contrast to Milton's other famous work, Paradise Lost, which deals with the fall of man and the loss of innocence. L'Allegro, on the other hand, is a celebration of life, and it is filled with images of nature, music, and dance. In this article, we will explore the themes, structure, and language of L'Allegro, and we will see how Milton creates a world of joy and beauty through his words.

Themes

The central theme of L'Allegro is joy. The poem celebrates the pleasures of life, and it encourages the reader to embrace the beauty of the world around them. Milton contrasts the joy of L'Allegro with the melancholy of Il Penseroso, another poem he wrote around the same time. In Il Penseroso, Milton explores the pleasures of solitude and reflection, but in L'Allegro, he celebrates the joys of company and activity.

The poem is also a celebration of nature. Milton uses vivid imagery to describe the beauty of the natural world, and he encourages the reader to appreciate the wonders of the earth. The poem is filled with images of flowers, birds, and animals, and it paints a picture of a world that is alive with beauty and wonder.

Structure

L'Allegro is a pastoral poem, which means that it is set in the countryside and it celebrates the beauty of nature. The poem is divided into two parts, each of which explores a different aspect of joy. The first part celebrates the joys of the morning, while the second part celebrates the joys of the evening.

The poem is written in rhymed couplets, which means that each line ends with a rhyming word. This gives the poem a musical quality, and it reinforces the theme of joy and celebration. The poem also uses a variety of poetic devices, such as alliteration, assonance, and imagery, to create a rich and vivid picture of the world.

Language

Milton's language in L'Allegro is rich and musical. He uses a variety of poetic devices to create a world of joy and beauty. For example, he uses alliteration to create a sense of movement and energy. In the line "And every shepherd tells his tale", the repetition of the "t" sound creates a sense of movement and excitement.

Milton also uses imagery to create a vivid picture of the natural world. In the line "And every flower that blows", he uses the image of a flower to represent the beauty of nature. This image is repeated throughout the poem, and it reinforces the theme of nature and beauty.

Milton's language is also filled with references to classical mythology and literature. He references the Greek god Apollo, the Roman goddess Venus, and the English poet John Fletcher. These references add depth and richness to the poem, and they reinforce the theme of joy and celebration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, L'Allegro is a poem that celebrates the joys of life and the beauty of nature. Through his language and imagery, Milton creates a world of joy and beauty that encourages the reader to embrace the wonders of the earth. The poem is a celebration of music, dance, and nature, and it is a reminder that life is full of beauty and wonder. Milton's language is rich and musical, and it creates a sense of movement and energy that reinforces the theme of joy and celebration. L'Allegro is a timeless poem that continues to inspire and delight readers today.

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