Milton's Mirth and Melancholy
“L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso” are companion poems written by John Milton (1608-1674) on mirth and melancholy, respectively. Milton’s poetic cognitive dissonance is expressed perfectly, and after reading one you are convinced that is the way to be, until you read the other one, which convinces you the opposite. The poems are littered with classical references and words unfamiliar to the modern ear, so it is best to read them with explanatory notes.
“L’Allegro,” touting cheeriness, mainly describes a morning scene in the country and the pleasures of the country and city. Some highlights:
“To many a youth and many a maid,
Dancing in the checkered shade;
And young and old come forth to play
On a sunshine holiday,”
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“Such sights as youthful poets dream
On summer eves by haunted stream.”
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“And ever against eating cares;
Lap me in soft Lydian airs,”
“Il Penseroso” is more contemplative. Milton discusses a moonlit evening, being at the fireside, pleasures of reading, the beauty of rain, shady woodlands, the interior of a church, and peaceful old age. Some highlights:
“Hide me from the day’s garish eye,”
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“And let some strange mysterious dream
Wave at his wings in airy stream
Of lively portraiture displayed
Softly on my eyelids laid.”
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“Dissolve me into ecstasies,
And bring all heaven before mine eyes.”
In terms of the poems' visualization, The Norton Anthology of English Literature mentions Botticelli’s Primavera in relation to “L’Allegro” and Dürer’s engraving, Melancholy, in relation to “Il Penseroso.” Thomas Cole, known primarily for 19th-century American landscapes, painted two pictures directly inspired by the companion pieces. Milton’s pair of poems also reminds me of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with its contrasting moods: bouncy “Spring” and “Summer” balanced by the moodier “Autumn” and “Winter."
Similar to the seasons, flora is present much more often in “L’Allegro” than in the subdued “Il Penseroso,” which mentions only two types of trees: pine and oak. In “L’Allegro,” violets, roses, sweetbriar, vines, eglantine, elms, hawthorn, daisies, oaks, and sheaves are all referenced.
For my own visual representations, I used violets, roses, sweetbriar, vines, hawthorn, and wheat to represent “L’Allegro,” and minimalistic sprigs of oak and pine to represent “Il Penseroso.”
L'Allegro (top) and Il Penseroso (bottom)