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Meaning of Madman's song.


  • enthralledforever
    Oct 23 2:30 PM 2006
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    Madman's Song

    BETTER to see your cheek grown hollow,
    Better to see your temple worn,
    Than to forget to follow, follow,
    After the sound of a silver horn.

    Better to bind your brow with willow
    And follow, follow until you die,
    Than to sleep with your head on a golden pillow,
    Nor lift it up when the hunt goes by.

    Better to see your cheek grow sallow
    And your hair grown gray, so soon, so soon,
    Than to forget to hallo, hallo,
    After the milk-white hounds of the moon.



    It seems to say: it's better to be old than to be unenthusiastic and inactive in the frenetic race of life.



    But can't understand the symbolism of the moon, the hounds, the horn.

    How can you bind your brows with willow?

  • Old Poetry
    October 23, 2006
    Reply
    Madman's Song http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/11887

    At this time it is always hard to know what a particular poet meant by a particular line but there are possibilities.

    In order to escape from marriages that went wrong Wylie twice ran away to England and stayed 'hidden' in the British countryside. At this time she would almost certainly have experienced fox-hunting either by riding-to-hounds or as a spectator.
    It is quite possible she became enanmoured of the sport. There are many obvious references :
    Follow, folow (line 3) following the hounds
    Silver horn (line 4 and 6) used for calling-in the hounds.
    when the hunt goes by (line 8) commonly an early morning event hence lifting head from pillow.
    Hallo, hallo (line 11) probably Halloo Halloo or view Halloo. The cry on spotting the hounds.
    Milk whte hound of the moon (line 12)

    On a superficial level clearly someone over enamoured with the hunt.

    On a deeper level this could be a metaphor for her constant hunt for the perfect relationship. She had a number of failed romantic entanglements (and 3 marriages) but never gave up the hunt for Mister right. Perhaps that was a madness.
    Jim
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