Hear it, O Thyrsis, still our tree is there!- Ah, vain! These English fields, this upland dim, These brambles pale with mist engarlanded, That lone, sky-pointing tree, are not for him; To a boon southern country he is fled, And now in happier air, Wandering with the great Mother's train divine (And purer or more subtle soul than thee, I trow, the mighty Mother doth not see) Within a folding of the Apennine.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker addresses the dead friend Thyrsis, acknowledging he is gone to a better place but the tree remains.
- In plain terms
- You are dead and gone to heaven, but our tree is still here.
- What can you take from it?
- Physical reminders of friends persist even after they are gone.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What remains after someone dies?
- How do you cope with loss?
Another view
The quote assumes a specific idea of the afterlife that may not be universal.
More from Matthew Arnold
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Permalink to quote #93 The bloom is gone, and with the bloom go I.
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