Points for Discussion
Hello dear readers,
Today, I will be discussing all the important points related to ” A Lament” composed by PB Shelley. I ensure you will get a complete idea to write the summary, central idea and explanation of the poem in an organized manner.
You will be able to write the specification and figure of speech used in this poem too. After reading this page you will find the secret to score outstanding marks in the board examination. Let’s get started
Layout: A Lament
- Short introduction of the Poet
- Short introduction of the Poem
- Stanza-wise explanation
- Relevant Quotations
- Summary of the Poem (English and Hindi)
- Central Idea Of the Poem
- Specification of the Poem (Theme& figure of speech etc.)
- The keyword to remember the Reference
- Moral of the Poem
About The Poet: PB Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born 4 August 1792, Horsham, United Kingdom. He was one of the major English Romantic poets, widely regarded as one of the finest lyric and philosophical poets in the English literature. His outstanding works are Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind, To a Skylark, Adonais. He studied in Eton and Oxford. He belonged from a wealthy family but his life spent with deep sorrow
About the Poem: A Lament
This poem is expressing a deep sense of grief. It seems he has composed this poem at the end of his life when he was about to leave this world, friends and achievements. This poem was written just one year before his death.
Reference, Context, and Explanation
Stanza-1
O world! o life ! O time!
on whose last step I climb,
Trembling at that where I had stood before;
When will return the glory of your prime?
No more—Oh, never more!
Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem ‘A Lament’ composed by PB Shelley
Context: The poet expresses his feelings of deep gloom. The awareness of old age having come before its a time leads to a cry of despair.
Explanation
The poet is in utter despair. He has no desire to live more in this world. There was a time when the world was full of attraction for him. However, now that time is over. He is fed up with his life and feels that his death is approaching slowly and surely.
He compares his life to a ladder and the poet imagines himself to be standing on its last rung. He feels that the period allotted to him is coming to a close.
He remembers the time when he used to stand firmly in the world, but now his legs are trembling like an old man. He is now shuddering at the thoughts of the troubles and difficulties against which the poet had fought so bravely in the past.
He is very disappointed and regrets that the freshness and joy in life and its varied experiences as he had in the past will not be returned to him now. The time has now gone forever, never to return.
Keywords and Quick Points
- Expression of despair and hopelessness
- The brighter phase of his life over
- now his firm and strong leg is shivering
- Questioning when his golden period will be returned
Everyone gets time to change his life, but life doesn’t come again to change the time
Unknown
Stanza -2
Out of the day and night
A joy has taken flight;
Fresh spring, and summer, and winter hoar
Move my faint heart with grief, but with delight,
No more—Oh, never more!
Context: In this stanza, the poet is feeling sad and disappointed. He is incapable of enjoying the beauty of nature.
Explanation
The poet’s days and nights are dull and joyless. They have become cheerless to him. The beauties of nature such as the blooming springs, the sunny summer of a foggy winter give him no joy.
The beauty of nature which used to fill him with joy in the past now only adds to his sorrow and disappointment. Instead of sending a thrill of delight into his heart. It only intensifies his grief.
Keywords and Quick Points
- poet’s life is dull and joyless
- the beauty of nature adds disappointment and despair instead of joy.
Our eyes open when their time come to close
unknown
Summary of the Poem: A Lament
The first stanza starts with exclamatory marks which symbolizes that the PB Shelley is disappointed and feel extremely sad.
He recalls the past happy moment of his life when he was being awarded and appreciated by people. It seems Shelley faced many challenges in his life bravely but at the end of his life, he feels helpless and afraid of death.
The joyous period of his life is about to dim. The natural elements which would pour his heart with happiness and delights now become the cause of his sadness. All the elements of nature cause lament and he is deeply distressed and hopeless from life.
Hindi Translation: A Lament
पहला श्लोक विस्मयादिबोधक चिह्नों से शुरू होता है जो यह दर्शाता है कि कवि निराश है और अत्यंत दुखी है। वह अपने जीवन के पिछले खुशहाल पल को याद करता है जब उसे लोगों द्वारा सम्मानित और सराहा जा रहा था।
उन्होंने अपने जीवन में कई चुनौतियों का बहादुरी से सामना किया लेकिन जीवन के अंत में, वह असहाय महसूस करते हैं और मृत्यु से डरते हैं। उनके जीवन का आनंदमय काल मंद होने वाला है।
प्राकृतिक तत्व जो उसके दिल को खुशी और प्रसन्नता से भर देते थे, अब उसकी उदासी का कारण बन जाते हैं। प्रकृति के सभी तत्व विलाप का कारण ban gaye हैं और वह जीवन से बहुत Dukhi और निराश है।
Note: Hindi version is a machine translation, not professionally translated. so you are recommended to go through the English Version
Central Idea of the Poem: A Lament
This poem “A lament” is considered as the saddest poem of PB Shelley. The expressions used in this poem is charged with deep sorrow, disappointment and hopelessness. He imagines that he is on the verge of his life. he recalls his memory when he was being praised and glorified by the people. But now all these happy moments have changed into sadness. He has lost the hope of life to live as he lived it in the past.
Specifications
- Exclamation indicating deep sadness
- It is an Elegy which denotes the loss of his personal life/ someone else
- Indirect message to the readers regarding the reality of life
- Hopelessness and Negativity has been depicted
How to identify the Reference;
- O world! o life ! o time!
- No more Nevermore
Moral of the Poem: A lament
“A lament” highlights that A true believer can not be hopeless from the goodness and blessing of God but an atheist laments at the last breath of his/her life. P B Shelley was an Atheist so he was full of grief as the style of his poem reflects the hopelessness whereas other poets’ reflected their contentment in previous poems.