O Nightingale
John Milton
O Nightingale, that on yon bloomy Spray
Warbl’st at eeve, when all of the Woods are still,
Thou with sparkling wish the Lovers coronary heart dost fill,
While the jolly hours lead on propitious May,
Thy liquid notes that close the attention of Day,
First heard before the shallow Cuccoo’s bill
Portend achievement in love; O if Jove’s will
Have linkt that amorous strength to thy smooth lay,
Now timely sing, ere the rude Bird of Hate
Foretell my hopeles doom in som Grove ny:
As thou from yeer to yeer hast sung too past due
For my relief; but hadst no reason why,
Whether the Muse, or Love call thee his mate,
Both them I serve, and of their educate am I.
Literary Analysis
“O Nightingale” is additionally called Milton’s Sonnet 1. It gives a evaluation among two birds, a nightingale and a cuckoo. The subject of the poem is the comparison and strife among love and hate, in which love succeeds because it has more power than hate. The “nightingale” in this poem is the subject. Its main concept indicates that love sooner or later prevails. The tone of the poem is paradoxical. The speaker on this poem is the poet himself. The speaker presents a assessment among love and hate, the use of the symbols of nightingale and cuckoo birds respectively.
Since the sounds of a nightingale are alluring to the ears and musical in nature, these can deliver a feeling of wish to a dejected lover. The poem begins with “O Nightingale, that on yon bloomy Spray…. / Thou with sparkling wish the fans heart dost fill”. Here, the nightingale symbolizes love and fulfillment. The chirps of the nightingale are melodious and convey pleasure and emotions of achievement and love to people who walk with the aid of and pay attention the melodic sounds “While the jolly hours lead on propitious May,….” It gives the sensation of positivity, achievement, desire, emotional intensity and creative freedom to new love “Portend success in love…”
The cuckoo is the exact opposite of the nightingale. It is referred to as the hate hen, “Now well timed sing, ere the impolite Bird of Hate.” Its sounds and chirps are completely distinctive from the nightingale, because the cuckoo is representing cuckoldry and jealousy.
The chirps of the cuckoo are just -word sounds just like that of a cuckoo clock. Its sounds are harsh. This is taken into consideration as an auditory imagery of the feelings of jealousy and hate. Those who hear these sounds become feeling annoyed. This annoyance could trigger anger this is related to hatred and hopelessness. Thus, the speaker proposes that the nightingale sing for him earlier than the chicken of hate foretells his fate, “Foretell my hopeles doom in som Grove ny”. According to the poet, this chook could be typically determined chirping nearby whenever someone is facing hate issues or going through awful times.
The poet complains that the nightingale often sings too late for him: ‘As thou from yeer to yeer hast sung too late/ For my relief;” he is, however, geared up to serve whatever the nightingale’s mate: love or muse, “Whether the Muse, or Love name thee his mate”. The word “muse” is alluded to the Greek goddess of poetry.
Structural Analysis
The poem has fourteen strains written in Italian or Petrarchan sonnet style. Its rhyme scheme is ABBAABBA-CDCDCD. It is written in the form of iambic pentameter (a line containing five iambs) which is rhythmic and regular: “O Nightingale that on yon bloomy Spray,/ Warbl’st at eve, when all of the Woods are still”.
The poem carries poetic device enjambment (incomplete syntax at the end of successive traces) in numerous lines such as: “Portend success in love; O if Jove’s will / Have linkt that amorous electricity to thy soft lay”. There is best one give up-stopped line, which occurs at the concluding line of the poem.
The poet has also used any other literary device known as hypotaxis. It is the subordination of one clause to some other: “O Nightingale that on yon bloomy Spray, / Warbl’st at eve, when all the Woods are still.” Here, the first line makes a speciality of the nightingale, while the following line gives further explanation about it.
This poem carries alliteration and assonance as well. Alliteration are in these words: “relief, reason”, “muse, mate”, them, their”. On the opposite hand, the following words contain assonance: “jolly, on”, “have, that”, “sing, fowl”.
The diction of the poem carries a few words of classical language such as “Thou with fresh desire the Lovers heart dost fill…/ As thou from yeer to yeer hast sung too late”.
Guidance for Usage of Quotes
This poem is all about fulfillment, desire and fulfillment in love and incorporates a message of desire and achievement in love for enthusiasts. It has strains which may be used as love rates such as:
“Thou with sparkling desire the Lovers heart dost fill,
While the jolly hours lead on propitious May”
Since, the nightingale is symbolizing love and a ray of wish, fanatics can name their girl beloveds as “nightingale” and examine her to the nightingale’s beautiful characteristics like its melodious voice that may be a symbol of desire, wish, passion and pleasure in anyone’s life. Lovers can dedicate this poem to their beloveds. The three pleasant strains for enthusiasts are:
“Thou with sparkling wish the Lovers coronary heart dost fill,
While the jolly hours lead on propitious May,
Thy liquid notes that close the attention of Day”.
Popular Literary Devices
- Ad Hominem
- Adage
- Allegory
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Ambiguity
- Anachronism
- Anagram
- Analogy
- Anapest
- Anaphora
- Anecdote
- Antagonist
- Antecedent
- Antimetabole
- Antithesis
- Aphorism
- Aposiopesis
- Apostrophe
- Archaism
- Archetype
- Argument
- Assonance
- Biography
- Cacophony
- Cadence
- Caricature
- Catharsis
- Characterization
- Cliché
- Climax
- Colloquialism
- Comparison
- Conflict
- Connotation
- Consonance
- Denotation
- Deus Ex Machina
- Dialect
- Dialogue
- Diction
- Didacticism
- Discourse
- Doppelganger
- Double Entendre
- Ellipsis
- Epiphany
- Epitaph
- Essay
- Ethos
- Eulogy
- Euphemism
- Evidence
- Exposition
- Fable
- Fallacy
- Flash Forward
- Foil
- Foreshadowing
- Genre
- Haiku
- Half Rhyme
- Hubris
- Hyperbaton
- Hyperbole
- Idiom
- Imagery
- Induction
- Inference
- Innuendo
- Internal Rhyme
- Irony
- Jargon
- Juxtaposition
- Limerick
- Line Break
- Logos
- Meiosis
- Memoir
- Metaphor
- Meter
- Mood
- Motif
- Narrative
- Nemesis
- Non Sequitur
- Ode
- Onomatopoeia
- Oxymoron
- Palindrome
- Parable
- Paradox
- Parallelism
- Parataxis
- Parody
- Pathetic Fallacy
- Pathos
- Pentameter
- Persona
- Personification
- Plot
- Poem
- Poetic Justice
- Point of View
- Portmanteau
- Propaganda
- Prose
- Protagonist
- Pun
- Red Herring
- Repetition
- Rhetoric
- Rhyme
- Rhythm
- Sarcasm
- Satire
- Simile
- Soliloquy
- Sonnet
- Style
- Superlative
- Syllogism
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- Synecdoche
- Synesthesia
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- Tautology
- Theme
- Thesis
- Tone
- Tragedy
- Tragicomedy
- Tragic Flaw
- Transition
- Utopia
- Verisimilitude