Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Dear Knights,
O, dost thou look about and see not one soul to stand by thee? Trembling thou stands in the armour of bravery. Paine and Despair have spread their vast wings to cover thy gate so that others may not appear. Where once was company and laughter, thou now hearest isolation and fear.
Solitude
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it’s mirth,
But has trouble enough of it’s own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
This poem is the most enduring work of Ella Wheeler Wilcox, an American author and poet. She wrote the poem after meeting a crying widow who sat beside her on a journey. Ella had tried to comfort her and reflected on the isolation when in pain. Her poem “Solitude” was published in 1883 and the opening words became iconic.
Read more about Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
This poem doth speak a hard truth to our hearts. But King Arthur, your King, vows to never leave a painefull herte alone. So listen for the musik in the Great Hall. Taketh the hand of Paine, and the hand of another Knight and let compassion bring nobility to this struggle for light.
Your humble Scribe,
Lady Sharon
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