Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
This poem is a thoughtful meditation on nature, mortality, and the profound tranquility one finds in solitude. The poet's description of the serene mere (a lake or pond), nestled beneath the moors and teeming with rills, sets a tone of peace and tranquility that pervades the entire piece. This peaceful scene is contrasted with the intrusion of 'harsh thoughts' and the mention of a 'dead man's might and skill,' introducing themes of mortality and human endeavor.
The poem is structured in quatrains, each line written in iambic tetrameter, lending a rhythmic, pulsating beat that mimics the calming flow of the mere and the rills. The refrain, 'Low lies the mere,' bookends the poem, reinforcing the central image and its associated tranquility.
The poet utilizes various literary devices to heighten the sensory experience. There is a rich use of sibilance ('still', 'silence', 'sweeps', 'sees', 'sound', 'shadow', 'strange', 'skill') throughout the poem which mirrors the soothing sounds of nature, enhancing the serene atmosphere. The juxtaposition of the peaceful mere with 'harsh thoughts' effectively communicates the human struggle against nature's indifference, and the solace one seeks in its beauty. The poet's choice to maintain a summer setting also denotes a time of flourishing life, which starkly contrasts the concept of death, hence amplifying the existential contemplations within the poem.