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SOLITUDE By: ELLA
WHEELER WILCOX |
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SOLITUDE
– ELLA WHEELER WILCOX 1
Laugh, and the world laughs with you; 2
Weep, and you weep alone. 3
For the sad old earth must
borrow its mirth, 4
But has trouble enough of its
own. 5
Sing, and the hills will
answer; 6
Sigh, it is lost on the air. 7
The echoes bound to a joyful sound, 8
But shrink from voicing care. 9
Rejoice, and men will seek you; 10 Grieve,
and they turn and go.
11 They
want full measure of all your pleasure, 12 But they do not need your woe. 13 Be glad, and your friends are many; 14 Be sad, and you lose them all. 15 There are none to decline your nectared
wine, 16 But alone you must drink life's gall. 17 Feast, and your halls are
crowded; 18
Fast, and the world goes by. 19
Succeed and give, and it
helps you live, 20
But no man can help you
die. 21
There is room in the halls of
pleasure 22
For a long and lordly train, 23 But one by one we must all file on 24 Through the narrow aisles of pain.
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“Solitude”
means a lonely place/being alone or away from other people or in isolation.
SUMMARY
It is a
universal human condition that: you are friend to everyone while sharing your ‘joy’
and ‘good times’ but that a person is alone/solitary in their tough
times/sadness.
STANZA 1
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Laugh, and the world laughs with you; /
Weep, and you weep alone.
We live in a society, where, when one is happy, laughing and joyous, then the whole world would laugh along with you, and make you more comfortable and liked.
But in your sadness, people would generally not
come to comfort you – so you weep alone – in loneliness.
·
For
the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, / But
has trouble enough of its own.
The
earth (or the society, community we live in) is so much filled with its own social
problems and financial problems, and many troubles that is has no time to help
you during your difficult times.
·
Sing,
and the hills will answer; / Sigh, it is lost on the air.
·
The
echoes bound to a joyful sound, / But shrink from voicing care.
During your good times and good mood, if you were to “sing” then even the “hills” would “answer you by singing with you along”. That means, you will receive a response from the world or society, and happiness would be multiplied – like the echoes. But if you were to “Sigh” with your troubles or hardships, nobody will take notice of it and it would be “lost on the air.”, making it feel lonely.
The world or the society around you, will not share your problems or
your troubles. You need to deal with them all by yourself.
STANZA
2
·
Rejoice, and men will seek you; / Grieve,
and they turn and go.
·
They
want full measure of all your pleasure, / But they do not need your woe.
In a similar manner, if you show happiness and rejoice, then your friends will “seek you” and be around you and want to spend time with you. But if you “Grieve” then the same people find excuses to “turn and go.”
These
people do not want “your woe” or share your troubles, but are more happy to share
with “your pleasure.”
·
Be
glad, and your friends are many; / Be sad, and you lose them all.
·
There
are none to decline your nectared wine, / But alone you must drink life's
gall.
If you
are glad, happy, helpful and generous, then everyone will want to befriend you.
But if
you are sad, down and stressed, they will not like to come near you.
If you have some nice things to share, nobody will decline it, but you endure,
deal and tackle your life’s sadness, poverty, loneliness – all things that make
us bitter.
STANZA
3
·
Feast, and your halls are crowded; / Fast,
and the world goes by.
In a
similar manner, if you are in good mood and invite for celebrations, nobody
will decline and your house is full. But when you are low, and down, and cannot
eat food, nobody shown any concern why you not eating and feeling so low.
· Succeed
and give, and it helps you live, / But no man can help you die.
By your
hard works, if you can make your life successful, then you will live a good
life. But in contrary, no body will help you to succeed – or even help you to
die, even if you feel so helpless. Death is solitary.
·
There is room in the halls of pleasure / For
a long and lordly train,
·
But one by one we must all file on / Through
the narrow aisles of pain.
In your successful life, “the halls of pleasure” will always be full. People will come and congratulate you and praise you for your success. But you yourself must walk through the narrow “aisles of pain” alone if you are not able to gain much success in your life. There is no one to share your pain/ your path to death.
This is the
Solitude you must endure.
