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Poem Analysis

The poem is an ode to music written by Joseph Warton. It personifies music as the queen who brings pure pleasure. The poet questions why music is only used for celebrations and calls on it to also soothe those experiencing grief, loss, or despair by pouring its soothing notes over heavy hearts and smoothing brows of distress with a soft melody.

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Ashton Paul
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546 views7 pages

Poem Analysis

The poem is an ode to music written by Joseph Warton. It personifies music as the queen who brings pure pleasure. The poet questions why music is only used for celebrations and calls on it to also soothe those experiencing grief, loss, or despair by pouring its soothing notes over heavy hearts and smoothing brows of distress with a soft melody.

Uploaded by

Ashton Paul
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Poem Analysis

By Ashton
Ode to music by Joseph Warton
Queen of every moving measure,
Sweetest source of purest pleasure,
Music; why thy powers employ
Only for the sons of joy?
Only for the smiling guests
At natal or nuptial feasts?
Rather thy lenient numbers pour
On those whom secret griefs devour
Bid be still the throbbing hearts;
Of those, whom death, or absence parts,
And with some softly whisper’d air,
Smooth the brow of dumb despair.
 About the poet:
 He is Joseph Warton
 A literary critic and classic scholar
 DOB: 22 April 1722
 DOD: 23 February 1800

 Theme ( The main idea of the poem) : The poet is talking about music
 Voice (Who is telling the poem) : The poet Joseph Warton
 Mood (feelings): I feel elevated and happy , It makes me want to play music.
 Rhyme Scheme: AABBCDEFGGHH
 Structure of the poem: 12 lines
Literary Devices
 Personification: Giving human qualities to someone or something. Here the music is given the
human quality to employ (give job).

 Consonance: Repetitive consonant sound in the same line. Here in the first line /m/ sound is
repeated: Queen of every moving measure . In the second line the /p/ sound is repeated : Sweetest source of
purest pleasure . In the last line the /d/ sound is repeated: Smooth the brow of dumb despair.

 Sibilance : The repetition of s sound. In line 2: Sweetest source of purest pleasure.

 Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the beginning of clauses here ‘only for the’ is
being repeated in the fourth and fifth lines .
 Enjambment: It is a sentence that does not end at the line . It is in the
seventh and eighth line
Summary

He is describing music as if it was royalty and is the source of sweetness and that
it calls the sons of joy, bad emotions are consuming them and when they listen
to music it relieves everyone of despair, agony and gives them joy.

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