So, we'll go no more a roving by Lord Byron

[knightss]

So we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul outwears the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon.

[knightss]

I opened one of my Literature textbooks and turned to page to see if I could fin anything to post today.. and the first thing I found was this poem by Byron. Personally, I find it to be an amazing short poem. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did =)

-Derek

Questions:


1) How do you feel about this poem?

2) What was your favorite line/lines?

3) Does Bryon believe that once love is worn it can no longer come back or is he talking about the sensual aspects of love?

[Tracey Neal]

1) How do you feel about this poem? It is very sensual..short bittersweet.

2) What was your favorite line/lines? So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

I really like that

3) Does Bryon believe that once love is worn it can no longer come back or is he talking about the sensual aspects of love? I believe love can come back for some, I think each person experiences love differently, and that is no exception for Lord Byron. So its hard to say, what he was feeling when he wrote this. I would ask him if he were here

[Tracey Neal]

2) What was your favorite line/lines? Though the night was made for loving....mmmm=) I love and believe that too

[Tracey Neal]

sensual pleasure is so much better when love is involved too

[knightss]

2) "For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul outwears the breast"

[saracen77]

This feels terribly sad. The loss that I feel when I read it is almost palpable. It feels like there has been a death, and in a way, the end of the writers life too.

My favourite part.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul outwears the breast,

So true. So much substance gets put into such fragile containers.

Your third question leads me to think that I should be viewing this as a parting of the ways, divorce if you like, but I just don't see it. I really see this as a person outliving the love of their life, and trying to continue on. And in those respects, I don't think it really matters which aspect of love we are talking about.

Saying that, I have no frame of reference for the poem, first read, so if it really is just about a parting, then I have completely the wrong end of the stick!

[Tracey Neal]

Your third question leads me to think that I should be viewing this as a parting of the ways, divorce if you like, but I just don't see it. I really see this as a person outliving the love of their life, and trying to continue on. And in those respects, I don't think it really matters which aspect of love we are talking about.

I like what you said here, it makes really good sense, I actually thought of that but then I wasn't sure, you know the part where you mentioned the person "outliving" their love and trying to continue on....beautiful concept, well said.

[Libellus]

1.
I dont like it - its sad and offers little hope

2.
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
The picture this conjures up is just .... wonderfully optimistic and stands out for me in an otherwise pessimistic verse

3.
Wasnt this Byron reflecting on his weariness with his promiscuous lifestyle. Everything is still there and available to him - it just didnt thrill the way it used to?

[saracen77]

3.
Wasnt this Byron reflecting on his weariness with his promiscuous lifestyle. Everything is still there and available to him - it just didnt thrill the way it used to?

I think this is where I have a bonus of not knowing anything about Byron. If I looked at it that way, I would see it completely differently, and perhaps not in the fond way I do now.

And, thank you Star. By the way, I'm never quite sure when I say these things, but I always found, when talking about this stuff, say what you want regardless. Some people will agree, some will not, and you can then form a new opinion based on that, or stick with your old one. Never be afraid to say the first thing that comes into your head!

[Libellus]

Hi Saracen you've always got to say what you want - thats what its all about.
The great thing I think about poetry is how people can read the same verse and see it in different ways (or the same way). The great thing about opinions - there are lots of them. They arent wrong. They arent right. They are just different.

[Tracey Neal]

I couldn't agree more...the day you stop speaking and voicing yourself, is the day you allow yourself to die. Its like that in all of life...what would life be like if we were all the same..with the same thoughts and ideas. It would be like having a sort of holocaust all over again...(trying to make all the same as one thinks and does) thats my opinion of Hitler. Which some countries unfortunately already live this everyday even still...they can't speak..their government won't allow it...this is grave..but I'm here...and being here in the US I'll do my best to use the voice that was given to me and I might not always make sense or have the best answer..but I'll exercise my rights and try. But I think trying to make everyone the same is never a good thing.

[thisislissa]

But I think trying to make everyone the same is never a good thing.

Yes indeed! I couldn’t agree more, our diversity is what makes us strong.



So we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul outwears the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon.

I think the poem may be describing an old married couple, or rather that first step towards old couple-hood. He says “Though the heart be still as loving” so I don’t think love has died. In the second section there is the pattern set up of the indestructible having a fragile vessel: sword/sheath, soul/body, perhaps passion is love’s breakable vessel. He says “and love itself have rest”, so love is not dead, merely resting, again, the comfort you have with a long time partner, the leaving open of the bathroom door. The last section regrets the passing of this adolescent style of love, almost asking why this type of love must pass when the world remains the same (of coarse that question has already been answered somewhat by the middle).

[tinyViolin]

I love with when I randomly find something great without any effort at all.

Knowing Byron, I laughed when I read it. I can totally imagine how he presented this aloud, and how he meant for it to be. However, the second and third time I read it, I realized that it can be taken in a darker, more solemn way.

1. I like it. It's short, sweet, and has some interesting imagery.

2. My favorite lines are hard to choose. I don't want to answer this. Hah.

3. I think he's talking about the sensual aspect of love. "Though the heart be as loving..." indicates that he isn't referring to the emotional attachment of love, but the physical effort of lovemaking.

"For the sword outwears the sheath/And the soul outwears the breast." This, to me, clearly refers to aging, especially the second line. The soul is considered eternal, but the body fades back into dust.

HOWEVER, "the sword outwears the sheath"~in a very, very crass way, this could mean that, ahem, the lover is ditching his "sheath" for a better one to stick his "sword" into. And the "we" would then mean "you and me", specifically. Not "me and anyone". The lines "the heart must pause.../And love itself have rest" would support that, too. It's possible that this is a breakup poem, hey!

Still, I think Byron is talking about the sex, in as it ceases with (extreme) age. He refers to the night "as made for loving", and the moon is "still as bright." The night, and the moon, are both eternal. As is the soul. But the "breast" and the "sheath" both age and, you know, need a break sometimes.

[henrinaiara]

sensual is what i feel for this thread...
great writing KNIGHT...
keep on writing bro