Sonnet VII O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell

Sonnet VII [O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell]

By John Keats

O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep,—
Nature’s observatory—whence the dell,
Its flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
’Mongst boughs pavillion’d, where the deer’s swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell.
But though I’ll gladly trace these scenes with thee,
Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d,
Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.

Summary of Sonnet VII O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell

  • Popularity of “Sonnet VII ”: Written by the great English romantic poet of his age, John Keats, this beautiful sonnet first appeared in 1817 when published in the collection of his poems. The poem celebrates the positive and beneficial impacts of solitude. The poem shows solitude as not only a good companion but also a beneficial friend. The beauty of the sonnet lies in its presentation and apostrophic call to solitude.
  • “Sonnet VII ”As a Representative of Beneficial Solitude: The speaker of the sonnet, who happens to be the poet himself, calls solitude saying that if he has a chance to live with Solitude as a colleague, then they should not live together in the urban buildings. He wants Solitude to be with him in the natural setting outside the city buildings. It is because it is Nature that presents them with sights, scenes, and beauty in full splendor. The speaker wants Solitude to be with him on the “flowery slopes,” near the rivers and under the boughs of the green trees to startle the wild bee. However, the speaker wants to have some conversation with an “innocent mind” to refine his own thoughts, adding if such souls have the “haunts” of Solitude, then it would be bliss for mankind.
  • Major Themes in “Sonnet VII”: Companionship of solitude, solitude amid natural beauty and the companionship of a good and innocent mind are three major themes of this sonnet. Although the poet calls Solitude, presents it as a metaphorical persona, and wants to live with it in the natural setting, he wants an innocent mind to have his side besides Solitude. It is because only such a mind having refined thoughts could bless him with refined thoughts in return. Therefore, it is the living place of Solitude that he wants with such an innocent mind to stay there. It would benefit him as well as that person and solitude. Therefore, the desire for companionship in solitude and that too amid nature is the main desire that the poet has expressed in this sonnet.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet VII O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell

John Keats has always excelled in writing poetry and also in using rich literary devices. Some literary devices are as follows.

  1. Apostrophe: It is a literary device that is used to call some dead person or an abstract idea. The poet has used an apostrophe in the first verse to call Solitude, such as “O Solitude.”
  2. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell” and the sound of /o/ in “’Mongst boughs pavillion’d, where the deer’s swift leap.”
  3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /m/ in “Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep” and the sound of /l/ in “Its flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell.”
  4. Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of enjambment, such as;

Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d,
Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Keats used imagery in this poem, such as “Its flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell”, “Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell” and “Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d.”
  2. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet presented Solitude as a metaphor for a person.
  3. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as heap, buildings, steep, observatory, and river to show the beauty of nature in comparison and contrast to “murky buildings.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet VII O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
  2. End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Keats has used end rhyme in this sonnet, such as dwell/dell/swell and heap/steep.
  3. Rhyme Scheme: The sonnet follows ABBAABBA in its octave and CDCDCD in its sestet.
  4. Octave and Sestet: An octave is an eight-lined stanza, and a sestet is a six-lined stanza used in the sonnet. The rhyme scheme shows both as above.
  5. Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a happy, jubilant and curious tone in the beginning and almost the same in the end.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the companionship of a good person.

Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refin’d,
Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.

 

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