Ode on Solitude by Alexander Pope

Ode on Solitude

Happy the man, whose wish and care

A few paternal acres bound,

Content to breathe his native air,

In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,

Whose flocks supply him with attire,

Whose trees in summer yield him shade,

In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcernedly find

Hours, days, and years slide soft away,

In health of body, peace of mind,

Quiet by day,

Sound sleep by night; study and ease,

Together mixed; sweet recreation;

And innocence, which most does please,

With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;

Thus unlamented let me die;

Steal from the world, and not a stone

Tell where I lie.

       ‘Solitude’ is the best stage of life. mostly people connects it with loneliness but it not about being lonely but it is about being happy in the company of our self. In this poem Pope says that the solitude is the blessed thing of life.

     

        The poem talks about the freedom of responsibility to the society and social norms. Pope talks about the joy of a person who is in his native land and not bounded or forced with the rules. The person should not be bounded by the rules of society and to answer the society.

     In second stanza poet talks about the rights of the person and presents that how society interferes in the life of individuals. Relatives and society play a role of a barrier in the life of a person. A person should be free and when the person stops thinking about what society think, he is at the stage of solitude. The person should be free to think on his own, s/he does not need to satisfy all the expectation of society. Poet talks about the life of those who lives in a farm, have flocks and trees to shade them.

       By the third stanza, poet found that only those people can stay with happiness and talked about the life with good health and peace. These people do not care about the nagging and judgments of society. Those people do not need a lavish life for their enjoyment.

     The people who are alone they do not need to care about what others think. The person with solitude has only the fear of his/her self only. Poet talks about his leisure life and ‘sound sleep’ with study and ease. He says that desire for knowledge is everything but a study without pleasure and ease is worthless. Society wants everyone to be educated but joy should be connected with it, otherwise it is of no use.

      In the final lines of poem poet wants the life of ‘unseen’ and ‘unknown’. He wants to hide himself from the world which gives pains and expects a lot. Thus the poem reflects the harsh reality of society and condition of an individual.

“and not a stone

Tell where I lie.”