Lycidas Quotes

LYCIDAS MAN AND THE
NATURAL WORLD QUOTES

I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude,
And with forced fingers rude
Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year (3-5)
These lines can be read in at least two ways. The act of plucking berries before they're
ripe is a metaphor for what the poem is about, the death of a young man before his
time. But the poet might be also thinking of his own poetry as premature; it's too soon
for him to be writing a poem about his dead friend. In either case, this prematurity is
reflected in the natural world and his interaction with it.
Man and the Natural World
Quote #2
Thee, Shepherd, thee the woods, and desert caves,
With wild thyme and the gadding vine o'ergrown,
And all their echoes mourn.
The willows, and the hazel copses green,
Shall now no more be seen
Fanning their joyous leaves to thy soft lays (39-44)
The speaker describes how Lycidas' death has affected the natural world, which mourns
his loss. Lycidas is described as a poet with incredible gifts; in fact, he resembles
Orpheus (mentioned in line 58), a poet who was able to charm nature in the same way
as Lycidas. The effect of his death on nature makes him a member of a distinguished
poetic and mythological tradition. Lucky him?
Man and the Natural World
Quote #3
Where were ye nymphs when the remorseless deep
Closed o'er the head of your loved Lycidas? (50-51)
The nymphs weren't paying attention when Lycidas drowned, or rather when the "deep"
took him down. Nymphs are often associated with particular natural features (oceans,
rivers, forests), and the speaker here suggests that the natural world, to a certain
extent, failed one of its beloved charges. But our fickle friend will change his tune in a
few lines (57), but at this point he still can't understand why Lycidas wasn't saved.
LYCIDAS FRIENDSHIP QUOTES

For we were nursed upon the self-same hill,
Fed the same flock; by fountain, shade, and rill (23-24)
Let's follow this poem's metaphor all the way through, shall we? If the speaker is Milton,
and his shepherd buddy is Milton's fellow poet, Edward King, then the fact that they
were "nursed upon the self-same hill" might mean that Milton thinks he and King are
descended from the same poetic ancestors, that they were raised on the same verse
(like, say, pastoral poetry). If this is the case, the speaker is picking up where Lycidas
left off, or, rather, Lycidas' death makes room for the speaker to occupy the poetic hill all
alone.
Friendship
Quote #2
Together both, ere the high lawns appeared
Under the opening eye-lids of the morn,
We drove afield (25-27)
These two really had it made in the good old days, huh? The fact that they both were
shepherds again suggests that Lycidas was a fellow poet, a member of the same
distinguished tradition. The speaker here is more interested in the fact that the two were
friends, though, than in what they did. Note how the phrase "together both" comes first,
and how the verb ("drove afield") comes almost two lines later.
Friendship
Quote #3
There entertain him all the saints above,
In solemn troops, and sweet societies
That sing, and singing in their glory move,
And wipe the tears forever from his eyes (178-181)
In the second half of the poem, Lycidas exchanges one group of friends, his fellow
shepherds, for another – the "sweet societies" of angels in heaven. If we read this
metaphorically, we might take this to mean that he has left his fellow Cambridge
students (the shepherds) for the company of angels. Thinking of Lycidas' or King's new
friend up in heaven just might help ease the pain of his comrades back on earth.
LYCIDAS SADNESS QUOTES

Bitter constraint, and sad occasion dear,
Compels me to disturb your season due (6-7)
Duty calls. The speaker implies that this song, this tribute to his friend, is something of
an obligation. It is a "constraint," not something voluntarily undertaken, at least not
completely. This might be because the speaker doesn't want to use his poetic gifts for
such a sad subject. Or maybe he is so overcome with grief that he can't quite control his
own decisions.
Sadness
Quote #2
He must not float upon his watery bier
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind,
Without the meed of some melodious tear. (12-14)
The speaker wishes that Lycidas could hear this elegy, or "melodious tear." We can't
help but notice that he describes the poem with a reference to water ("tear"), which is
fitting considering that Lycidas met his death at sea. The fact that the tear is
"melodious" suggests that the speaker is converting grief into art, beauty, poetry. We
have a feeling Lycidas would be pleased.
Sadness
Quote #3
What could the muse herself that Orpheus bore,
The muse herself for her enchanting son
Whom universal nature did lament. (58-60)
By comparing Lycidas to Orpheus, the speaker tells us just how much of an impact
Lycidas' death will have. Even "universal nature" will be bummed to hear the news. Oh,
and by the way, it is a convention of the pastoral elegy to describe all of nature
mourning for an especially beloved poet. Milton is checking off all his boxes, like a good
poet should.
LYCIDAS DEATH QUOTES

I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude,
And with forced fingers rude
Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year (3-5)
The connection between this opening and the poem's subject matter (the death of a
young man) is clear, but there might be something else going on. Perhaps the speaker
feels that he might be writing this type of poem (pastoral elegy) too soon, almost as if he
is plucking his own berries before he should.
Death
Quote #2
For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,
Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer (8-9)
This is the first description we get of Lycidas' death. His name is repeated, as is the fact
that he is dead, just in case you had any doubt. In fact, it almost seems as if the
speaker is trying to convince himself of Lycidas' death, as if he can't quite believe it
himself. But we also might think of the repetition of the name as somehow keeping
Lycidas alive – in poetry at least.
Death
Quote #3
So may some gentle muse
With lucky words favour my destined urn,
And as he passes turn
And bid fair peace be to my sable shroud (19-22)
Okay, now we're getting the whole story. In these lines, the speaker suggests that he is
writing this poem for Lycidas so that some poet will do the same for him in the future.
That sounds a lot more self-interested than a typical man in grief. We can't help but
wonder why he is so focused on his own death, so early on in the poem. Shouldn't he
be more worried about Lycidas? Could it be that the only reason he is upset that
Lycidas is gone is that it's a reminder of his own mortality?

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LYCIDAS MAN AND THE

NATURAL WORLD QUOTES

LYCIDAS FRIENDSHIP QUOTES

LYCIDAS SADNESS QUOTES

LYCIDAS DEATH QUOTES

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