Another one of Smith’s great works, this “Sonnet to a
Nightingale” from Elegiac sonnets is an Italian sonnet.
Right away POOR is in
all caps leading you to a certain feel of sadness, or empathy almost for Smith
herself, as well as the nightingale which guides you into the poem.
This poem seems to be paying homage to the Nightingale and
its sweet song, but we could also assume that Smith is paying homage to nature, as well as her own sadness.
When the narrator mentions that a poet would barely be able to translate the
meaning of the song of the Nightingale, Smith is also implying that nature
itself holds images, sounds and meaning that can hardly be put into words
that do justice to its purpose. Smith is definitely dwelling in the natural
aspects of this poem, from the song swelling the small bird’s breast, to the
wild woodlands in which the nightingale "roves."
Additionally, I think Smith’s use of the melancholy nightingale
is more prevalent to her own emotional state. Clearly, this song bird
represents both the natural world, and the sadness carried within the song it
sings, but also to me shows the connection Smith feels with the nightingale.
She wonders of the sadness through the song. Smith is unknowing of the
nightingale’s “tale of tender woe”, but does see the relationship of the song
to the feeling of sorrow that companies this bird, which again reflects back
onto Smith’s own melancholy state.
She ends her sonnet with a couplet, “Ah! Songstress sad! That
such my lot might be, To sigh and sing at liberty – like thee!” Smith is not
jealous of the nightingale’s suffering, but the ease and capability to which
the bird has to freely express this suffering in such an outward way.
The first words of all of the Smith sonnets we've received are in all caps. I wonder if that is typographical, rather than her specific poetic style? Either way, I like your take on it.
ReplyDeleteSmith's background is both tragic and fascinating, and it helped me understand the note of melancholy that rings in many of her sonnets. This source (http://mypoeticside.com/poets/charlotte-smith-poems) says that due to her father's wasteful spending, she was placed in a marriage that was "little more than prostitution," and in which she had TWELVE kids. (Then her husband spent like crazy, and landed both of them in debtor's prison!) I normally roll my eyes when some poets write of their sadness, but in her case, I can see that it seems absolutely true to her experience.
Smith's life is a crucial background for her sonnets: she alluded to her situation in her prefaces to the many editions of the book, and thus made readers aware of her financial and legal difficulties. For a better and more accurate biography, I would suggest consulting the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, available through the library website under Databases. The information in this source is more reliable than public sites on Smith's life (which often contain incorrect information).
ReplyDeleteI generally agree with your arguments, but i would argue that your interpretation of the final line is bit limiting. I found the line to be ironic because while the song bird is more free to sing its song it also doesn't mean anything. I think that tension is important to the line as part of her struggle is that her audience (educated, often male) is unable to sympathize with her struggle. It may be that she is jealous of the way the song bird can express sadness in such a beautiful way or maybe she doesn't envy the bird at all and is instead calling attention to the ease with which meaningless work can be celebrated.
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