AWAY MELANCHOLY

-Stevie Smith
Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.

Are not the trees green,

The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and the river flow?
Away melancholy.

The ant is busy

He carried his meat,
All things hurry
To be eaten or eat.
Away, melancholy.

Man, too, hurries,

Eats, couples, buries,
He is an animal also
With a hey ho melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.

Man of all creatures

Is superlative
(Away melancholy)
He of all creatures alone
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy)
Into the stone, the god
Pours what he knows of good
Calling, good, God.
Away, melancholy, let it go.

Speak not to me of tears,

Tyranny, pox, wars,
Saying, Can God,
Stone of man’s thought, be good?

Say rather it is enough

That the stuffed
Stone of man’s good, growing,
By man’s called God,
Away, melancholy, let it go.

Man aspires
To good,
To love
Sighs;

Beaten, corrupted, dying

In his own blood lying
Yet heaves up an eye above
Cries, Love, love.
It is his virtue needs explaining,
Not his failing.

Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go

How to start an answer -

‘Away , Melancholy’ by Stevie Smith is a poem that revolves around the theme of
melancholy, which is an intense prolonged inexplicable sadness the speaker
suffers from . The poet's persona struggles to cope with it , as she tries to argue
her point with the personified melancholy trying to shoo it away constantly only
for it to be seemingly winning the tussle.

What is the poem Away, Melancholy about?

Florence Margaret Smith, pseudonym Stevie Smith, was born in a religious

household but started questioning organized religion and the concept of God
later in life. In her poetry, she often questioned the existence of God and
struggled with issues of faith and doubt, and explored spirituality in her way.

Poetry must be rooted in religion and philosophy.

“Away, Melancholy” is a poem about humans grappling with melancholy,

hope, and the concept of God in religions. Through literary devices such as
metaphor, alliteration, and repetition, Smith conveys an urgency and a desire
to release the burden of melancholy. Yet, the poem also has a message of
hope, reminding the readers that we have the ability to conquer our sorrow
with the aid of our innate goodness.

What is the theme of the poem Away, Melancholy?

Hope and Despair

The poem reminds us that life is beautiful and precious and must be
embraced and that the burden of sorrow should be lifted. Smith’s poem
demonstrates the power of nature to heal and nurture the soul (“Are not the
trees green….Away melancholy”), and the importance of seeking positivity
and hope in the face of sadness and despair.

Divine and the Human

Stevie Smith has reconstructed the concept of God by inverting the

preconceived notions of God. Man, himself, is the creator of God and by
worshipping the symbol, an ordinary stone, he actually venerates goodness.
God is not a separate entity outside of humanity. Human desire and longing
for goodness and love are divine and spiritual in nature.

What is the structure of the poem Away, Melancholy?

The poem, written in free verse, has lines of varying lengths and irregular
rhyme schemes that add to the fluidity of the poem. Few lines that have an
end rhyme intensify the overall impact and meaning of the poem. The refrain
“Away, Melancholy” creates a sense of rhythm as well as a sense of
urgency to shake off melancholy. The poem is presented as a dialogue
between the speaker and melancholy itself.

LIme-by-Line Analysis and Literary Devices of the Poem

Away, Melancholy

Away, melancholy,

Away with it, let it go.

 ● anaphora – repetition of the word “away” in two consecutive lines.
● personification – “melancholy”

The speaker uses anaphora at the beginning of the poem thereby creating a
sense of urgency, and emphasizing his desire to get rid of sadness. The
speaker has personified the intangible emotion “melancholy” through an
earnest appeal to it to dissipate. The speaker commands himself to cast
away the burden of sorrow through the imperative phrase “let it go”.

Are not the trees green,

The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and the rivers flow?

Away melancholy.

● visual imagery – “trees green”, “earth as green”

● personification – “wind blow”, “fire leap”, “rivers flow”
● repetition of the phrase “Away melancholy”. It acts as a refrain.

Smith uses the imagery of nature to contrast with the heaviness of

melancholy. The speaker questions melancholy, asking why it persists in a
world that is so full of life and beauty. The repetition of “green” highlights the
vivacity of nature while the active verbs “blow”, “leap”, and “flow” illustrate
the constant movement and vitality of the natural world. Through this
contrast, the speaker urges the self to cast aside melancholy and embrace the
vitality of the natural world around us.

The ant is busy

He carrieth his meat,
All things hurry
To be eaten or eat.

Away, melancholy.

● metaphor – ants are the metaphor for constant activity

The contrasting imagery continues as the speaker shifts his attention to the
busy ants and the never ending natural cycle of life and death in the world.
The line “He carrieth his meat” refers to the busy ants carrying and storing
food in their colony. The action of the ants serves to remind the readers of
nature’s relentless way to thrive and survive, never for once stopping to
ponder over the outcome of its actions. The imperative phrase “Away,
melancholy” is a refrain, further emphasizing the speaker’s determination to
rid themselves of this negative emotion.

Man, too, hurries,

Eats, couples, buries,
He is an animal also
With a hey ho melancholy,

Away with it, let it go.

Smith draws a parallel between ants and humans. By comparing animals and
humans, she stresses the idea that we are all part of the natural cycle and
subject to its rhythm and cycle. The use of the word “hurries” refers to the
frenzied pace of life and “eats, couples, buries” suggests the basic needs
that drive human behavior. The phrase “He is an animal also” reminds us
that in spite of our advanced technology and intelligence, we are not detached
from nature but an essential part of it and therefore not exempt from the laws
of nature. The repetition of “hey ho melancholy” reinforces the sense of
weariness and melancholy that the speaker is trying to overcome, while the
final command to “away with it, let it go” acts as a reminder to get rid of
negativity.

Man of all creatures

Is superlative
(Away melancholy)
He of all creatures alone
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy)
Into the stone, the god
Pours what he knows of good
Calling, good, God.
Away melancholy, let it go.

● calling good, God. consonance, the repetition of “g” creates a sense of

finality.
● Away melancholy –refrain

The phrase “of all creatures” is repeated by the speaker to assert that
humans in spite of their imperfections and shortcomings are superior to other
creatures. The fact that human beings aspire to be good or strive for a higher
purpose in life is by itself a form of worship. Smith personifies “the stone” as
human intervention is required to instill qualities like goodness and love in the
stone and raise him to be God. This pursuit of goodness is what makes us
human. The line “Calling, good, God” suggests that the stone has no
significance by itself. The stone is attributed with meanings and qualities like
goodness, love, and justice which are ultimately a reflection of their own
desires and aspirations. Thus the concept of god is a product of the human
mind, hence ” Into the stone, the god /Pours what he knows of good“.

Speak not to me of tears,

Tyranny, pox, wars,

Saying, Can God

Stone of man's thoughts, be good?

Say rather it is enough

That the stuffed

Stone of man's good, growing,

By man's called God.

Away, melancholy, let it go.

 ● irony – Stevie Smith employs irony by dismissing the idea of God’s
goodness. The speaker says that it is enough that man’s idea of God is
ever-increasing implying that the idea is man’s creation rather than an
objective reality.
● “the stuffed stone of man’s good” is a symbol of the concept of God.
● stuffed stone – consonance

The speaker is disinterested in the negative aspects of life, such as tears,

tyranny, disease, and war, and doubts whether God can truly be good in the
face of such pervasive societal problems. There is no clear answer and the
reader is left pondering over the limitations of religion in addressing human
suffering. The following lines suggest that though the traditional notion of God
is flawed, humanity’s evolving conception of good can lead to progress and
change. So we should banish melancholy and embrace the inherent
goodness within us all.

Man aspires
To good,
To love

Sighs;

● To good/ To love- parallelism [same grammatical structure is repeated

(to+noun)] creates a rhythm as well as emphasizes human aspirations

These lines convey the idea that human beings have an innate desire to
aspire for goodness and love but this pursuit often ends in hopelessness and
despair.

Beaten, corrupted, dying

In his own blood lying
Yet heaves up an eye above
Cries, Love, love.
It is his virtue needs explaining,

Not his failing.

 ● love – repetition, emphasizes the significance of love in overcoming
difficult situations
● Beaten, corrupted, dying/ In his own blood lying – visual imagery of
human suffering
● Yet heaves up an eye above – visual imagery, creating a sense of
hope

The search for love and good is often met with suffering and hardships but
even in the face of life’s adversity human beings have the resilience to seek
love and keep faith in its enduring power. The virtue of human beings to reach
for love and compassion even in the face of great adversity – needs to be
explained, rather than their failings. This suggests that circumstances corrupt
men but one should not dwell on man’s failures or shortcomings.

Away, melancholy,

Away with it, let it go.

The refrain at the end of the poem reinforces the theme which is one must
seek happiness in the midst of misfortunes, take comfort in the constant
renewal of life in the natural world, and trust in humanity’s goodness to
overcome the darkest aspects of life.

It creates a sense of closure as the speaker is ready to move on from the

feelings of despair and melancholy.

It emphasizes the importance of letting go of emotions.

Class Notes

-1957:Not waving but dreaming, was the collection in which the poem Away
Melancholy
-Father abandoned the family
-Mother passed away when Stevie was 16
-At the age 5 she developed tuberailosis- sent to sanatorium for 3 years- this
cause a preoccupation for death by the age of 7 age 8 - contemplated suicide.
-Diagnosed and treated for depression
-1953-She had a nervous breakdown
-It has 9 stanzas and is a Free Verse
-Melancholy- intense and prolonged sadness that generally has no obvious
cause
-refrain: a line which is repeated
-irony: what makes us humans (reason, emotion and morality) is what causes
melancholy

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