Away Melancholy
The poem expands on the idea that we must persevere despite feeling sad or depressed.
There is a steady progression from something simple to something more complex. The poem
is an internal monologue where the speaker reflects on her depression.
STRUCTURE
The poem has a complex rhyme scheme that mirrors the complexity of the poem and its
meaning. The rhyme scheme implies a back and forth movement which is a reflection of the
speaker’s feelings. The rhythm is also created through the line lengths, enjambment and
caesuras, which create a jerky rhythm, cutting the lines into even smaller pieces.
The rhymes are cleverly placed to create effects such as full rhymes which emphasise words:
‘green…green’, half rhymes which add instability: ‘hurries… buries’.
The rhythm reflects the speaker’s state of mind – unstable.
PROGRESSION
The poem begins with an apostrophe where the speaker addresses melancholy: ‘Away,
melancholy’. The imperative implies an assertive tone suggesting that the speaker is done
with melancholy and wants to move on in life. The phrase acts as a refrain or a mantra
throughout the poem.
The rhetorical questions in the second stanza give the impression of a religious sermon. In
this stanza, Smith includes the four elements of nature and by doing this reminds the reader
of the beauty of life. The earth is described as ‘green’ which creates the impression of vitality
and life. The elements of air (‘the wind’), fire (‘Fire leap’) and water (‘river flow’) are
described with active verbs and personified adding to the element of life and contrasting
greatly with the concept of melancholy, which heightens the contrast and the beauty of life.
In the third stanza Smith focuses on the ant, an insignificant being in the reader’s mind but
significant in terms of the meaning of the poem. In this stanza Smith homes in on the natural
cycle of life and reflects on man’s place in the natural world.
The ant ‘carrieth his meat’ implies that all creatures need to survive and with this Smith
compares the ant to man and suggests that there is no difference between any creatures on
earth except that man is capable of conscious thought. The religious/biblical motif runs into
this stanza with the archaic ‘carrieth’ which can be found in the Bible.
The poem becomes increasingly philosophical and contemplative. ‘All things hurry/To be
eaten or eat’ suggests that we are all part of the cycle of life, that we eat to survive and are
eaten after our death.
Stanza 4 carries this further in which Smith does not distinguish between man and beast.
She lists our natural urges, ‘Eats, couples, buries’ and with this summarises our lives in terms
of urges and instincts for survival.
There is a slight shift in tone in the 5th stanza. The excessive enjambment and the repetition
of ‘(Away melancholy)’ giving the effect of euphoria. The phrase in brackets acts as a refrain
but also acts as an echo. ‘With a hey ho melancholy’ gives the effect that life has become an
effort, but despite this melancholy needs to be let go.
Man is seen as ‘superlative’ and it is here that Smith distinguishes between man and other
creatures. Man’s consciousness allows him to ‘Raiseth a stone’, where the ‘stone’ could
imply the creation of the 10 commandments or at the very least a code of conduct that
society abides by.
Out of the stone, which is cold and impenetrable, something ‘good’ is created. Note the
similarities between the words ‘good’ (subjective morality) and ‘god’ (subjective higher
power) or ‘God’ (higher power) which becomes synonymous in the poem. The stone
becomes a symbol of morality and religion. So morality and religion are literally set in stone.
The abstract idea of ‘good’ becomes the foundation of religion.
The speaker’s internal monologue continues in the next stanza. ‘Speak not to me of tears’-
there is an acceptance of all that is bad in the world, but not the acceptance that evil comes
The poem expands on the idea that we must persevere despite feeling sad or depressed.
There is a steady progression from something simple to something more complex. The poem
is an internal monologue where the speaker reflects on her depression.
STRUCTURE
The poem has a complex rhyme scheme that mirrors the complexity of the poem and its
meaning. The rhyme scheme implies a back and forth movement which is a reflection of the
speaker’s feelings. The rhythm is also created through the line lengths, enjambment and
caesuras, which create a jerky rhythm, cutting the lines into even smaller pieces.
The rhymes are cleverly placed to create effects such as full rhymes which emphasise words:
‘green…green’, half rhymes which add instability: ‘hurries… buries’.
The rhythm reflects the speaker’s state of mind – unstable.
PROGRESSION
The poem begins with an apostrophe where the speaker addresses melancholy: ‘Away,
melancholy’. The imperative implies an assertive tone suggesting that the speaker is done
with melancholy and wants to move on in life. The phrase acts as a refrain or a mantra
throughout the poem.
The rhetorical questions in the second stanza give the impression of a religious sermon. In
this stanza, Smith includes the four elements of nature and by doing this reminds the reader
of the beauty of life. The earth is described as ‘green’ which creates the impression of vitality
and life. The elements of air (‘the wind’), fire (‘Fire leap’) and water (‘river flow’) are
described with active verbs and personified adding to the element of life and contrasting
greatly with the concept of melancholy, which heightens the contrast and the beauty of life.
In the third stanza Smith focuses on the ant, an insignificant being in the reader’s mind but
significant in terms of the meaning of the poem. In this stanza Smith homes in on the natural
cycle of life and reflects on man’s place in the natural world.
The ant ‘carrieth his meat’ implies that all creatures need to survive and with this Smith
compares the ant to man and suggests that there is no difference between any creatures on
earth except that man is capable of conscious thought. The religious/biblical motif runs into
this stanza with the archaic ‘carrieth’ which can be found in the Bible.
The poem becomes increasingly philosophical and contemplative. ‘All things hurry/To be
eaten or eat’ suggests that we are all part of the cycle of life, that we eat to survive and are
eaten after our death.
Stanza 4 carries this further in which Smith does not distinguish between man and beast.
She lists our natural urges, ‘Eats, couples, buries’ and with this summarises our lives in terms
of urges and instincts for survival.
There is a slight shift in tone in the 5th stanza. The excessive enjambment and the repetition
of ‘(Away melancholy)’ giving the effect of euphoria. The phrase in brackets acts as a refrain
but also acts as an echo. ‘With a hey ho melancholy’ gives the effect that life has become an
effort, but despite this melancholy needs to be let go.
Man is seen as ‘superlative’ and it is here that Smith distinguishes between man and other
creatures. Man’s consciousness allows him to ‘Raiseth a stone’, where the ‘stone’ could
imply the creation of the 10 commandments or at the very least a code of conduct that
society abides by.
Out of the stone, which is cold and impenetrable, something ‘good’ is created. Note the
similarities between the words ‘good’ (subjective morality) and ‘god’ (subjective higher
power) or ‘God’ (higher power) which becomes synonymous in the poem. The stone
becomes a symbol of morality and religion. So morality and religion are literally set in stone.
The abstract idea of ‘good’ becomes the foundation of religion.
The speaker’s internal monologue continues in the next stanza. ‘Speak not to me of tears’-
there is an acceptance of all that is bad in the world, but not the acceptance that evil comes
