LYCIDAS
John Milton
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INTRODUCTION
John Milton was an English poet and prose writer. He is prominently known for his work Paradise Lost. Milton’s other well-known works include Areopagitica, Comus, Paradise Regained,Ode on the Morning of Chris’s nativity, L’ Allegro and II Penseroso.
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ABOUT THE POEM
“Lycidas” is a poem by John Milton. It was written in 1637. By genre, the poem is a pastoral (rustic, rural) elegy (funeral song, dirge). The poem is dedicated to the memory of Edward King, a college mate of Milton’s at Cambridge.Edward King drowned (go down, go under, sink) when his ship sank in the Irish Sea.
The topic of the poem is a shepherd who mourns (grieve, lament, weep for) his drowned friend Lycidas and indirectly refers to the immortal (eternal, everlasting) fame (reputation, prominence) of a poet. King had also written verse, but not with particular distinction. A group of critics believe that Milton is using the occasion for much more general sentiments (feeling, emotion) not necessarily only for King.
However, in this poem the dead poet is shown as having dedicated his life to the cause of moral poetry instead of idling (inactive, unused) away his days in leisure (free time, spare time).
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SUMMARY AND EXPLANATION
The extract begins with a question. It asks a question that what is the use of unceasing (constant, never-ending) care to attend poetry, which is hated and neglected by all. Even if a person devotes (dedicated, offer) oneself to poetry it earns no praise or thanks. When this is the case,according to poet it would be better to follow others who write poems on trivial (unimportant, insignificant,minor) love-themes and other poems of lighter tones. The poet feels that the limited time in life could have been spent better in the company of Amaryllis or Neaera, shepherdesses and live a carefree life.
The poet here regrets (be sorry, feel sorry) that his friend should not have tried for fame. Indeed, fame is an incentive (motivation, encouragement, reason) that lead people to do better work. However, this is a weakness of a noble mind. In order to get name and fame, a person works very hard and does not even enjoy anything. He spends his days doing laborious work but in vain (ineffective, hopeless,
useless). His hopes for reward are not fulfilled (satisfied, pleased). This line shows Milton’s Puritanism, as he does not approve even the desire for fame.
He further says that when we hope to find some kind of reward with the hope to have fame,there comes death. This death cuts the thread of life. Here the poet refers to Atropos,one of the three Fates on Greek mythology. The poet tries to say that the cuting short of King’s life could only have been the work of some evil spirit.
Nevertheless,the poet is reminded by Phoebus,the God of song that fate can cut the thread of life but not the reward thal a man earns by his good work. True praise is not in he hold of fate. Fame is not a plant. which grows on mortal (earthly, worldly, human) soil (earth,land).It is also not something, which is covered, in glistering foil. It has nothing to do with approval of people or positive reports. The true fame lives and spreads high in the air by good people. Jove, the God of god sees everything. He is an infallible (perfect, reliable) judge and thus never makes mistake. His judgment is the last on every deed. If not on the earth. One gets his share of fame in the heaven.
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CONCLUSION
To sum up, the poem is a lament on the death of his college friend Edward King. It is written in the form of a pastoral elegy. The poet and the person being mourned are portrayed as shepherds. The tone and outlook of the poem is thoroughly (carefully, methodically) Puritan and reflects Milton’s religious philosophy. The poem shows Milton’s disappointment at the premature (early, untimely) death of true poet’s desire for fame and rank (grade, position, status). The experience of the poet is private as well as general.
The poem was exceedingly (exceptionally, remarkably, extremely, especially) popular. It was hailed (admired) as Milton’s best poem, and by some as the greatest lyrical poem in the English language. Yet it was detested for its artificiality (dishonesty) by Samuel Johnson. He found “the diction (delivery, projection) is harsh (cruel, unkind), the rhymes uncertain, and the numbers unpleasing” and complained, “in this poem there is no nature, for there is no truth; there is no art, for there is nothing new.“.
