'The old woman' poem written by Joseph Campbell

The old woman by Joseph Campbell

The poem 'The Old Woman' is written by Joseph Campbell. Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the human experience. Campbell's magnum opus is his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), in which he discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world mythologies. Since the book's publication, Campbell's theory has been consciously applied by a wide variety of modern writers and artists. His philosophy has been summarized by his own often repeated phrase: "Follow your bliss."

The poem is divided into 3 stanzas each have four line. The meaning of the poem is deeper than any romantic poem. The poem is very simple, realistic poem. The poet has given the description of old lady by different comparisons. It s very natural to see beauty in young women, but t is very understanding to describe the beauty of old woman.  It requires great imaginative power to see beauty in old age. Poe has beautifully described the beauty of old woman.

As a white candle
    In a holy place,
So is the beauty
    Of an aged face.

                In the first stanza, the poet compares the old lady with the white candle. As the white candle in the holy place gives light and guided the person who comes there. It is the symbol of holy figure. Basically old persons are just like candle, because the always become path shower to the new generation. If we are in any trouble we get inspiration or ideas to come out from the trouble, we contact old person. New generation learn from the experience of the old people. Same think in this poem that old lady compare with candle near to holy place. Likewise the old lady's face compared with the white candle. The old lady guides others by the using experience. She enlightens the life of others. Moreover, white candle is a symbol of beauty and light or giver of light. The poet finds beauty in her face. The word ‘place’ rhymed with ‘face’.

As the spent radiance
    Of the winter sun,
So is a woman
    With her travail done.

                In the second stanza, the poet compares the old lady with the spent radiance of the winter's sun. Old woman have more experience of life like sun. It means passing of time, and as the sun travels more and more in the sky it spends its radiance more and more. And in winter sun gives us protection from the cold atmosphere. Same the lady also protect new generation from the problems of life, because she have experience of life. Through the time passes, she has gathered a wide experience of life. Moreover, at the sunshine the sunset looks beautiful due to radiance. Here, the same thing for the old lady. Here wide range of experience is an extra ornament in the life of old lady.  It adds charms in her beauty. Sun and woman rhymed with each other.

Her brood gone from her,
    And her thoughts as still
As the waters
    Under a ruined mill.

                In the last stanza, the poet compares the old woman with the ruined water of the mill. They neither vanished nor run away. So here the same position for the old lady. Her broods have gone away from her in old age and, her thoughts are still as ruined waters of the mills. It means it suggests steadiness and maturity in the life of old lady. The word ‘still’ rhymed with mill.

Joy and Woe by William Blake

Joy and Woe written by William Blake

‘Joy and Woe’ is a short poem written by William Blake. In this poem poet tries to say that joy and sorrow are the important part of human life. Both the things are equally important in our life. The poem is divided in to two stanzas, each have four lines.

Joy and Woe are woven fine,

A Clothing for the soul divine;

Under every grief and pain

Runs a joy with silken twine.

In the first stanza poet says that joy and pain are connected with each other, both come naturally in sequence, here to explain this things poet has use the example of woven, in a seance that connection. Joy and woe are connected with each other and inter-depended. In human life, happiness and grief are equally important. These two things connect together and make cloths for our divine soul. In the next two lines poet gives us a tips to find out joy in pain. Poet says that, in every pain and sorrow there are also joy and happiness, we need to find it out. If we find joy in every pain we start enjoying the pain as well. But we have to remember that we are made for both joy and pain. Because if there is no pain than we come to know the prize of happiness. And in happy moment we have to remember that first we have felt the pain than we get this happy moment.

Poet say that do not become unhappy when sad moment come, there are always happy moments also. To understand the value and price of the joy one have to pass out through the pain. Once you know that joy and woe both are come turn by turn. One can live happily in every moment of life.     

So, we know that joy and woe are part of our life, we can live happy in sad moment also. This thing happen when we understand the value of pain and happiness in our life, one has to identify the happiness in every split second.

Here in this first stanza poet has use personification with the using the ‘clothing for the soul divine’. The poet has successfully used the alliteration in the stanza, the word ‘Woe’ is alliterating with ‘Woven’. The word ‘Fine’ and ‘Divine’ rhymed with each other, as same ‘Pain’ and ‘Twine’ rhymed with each other. And poet has compared the joy with silken twine.    

It is right it should be so;

Men was made for joy and woe;

And when this we rightly know,

Safely through the world we go.

In the second stanza poet say that it is very right that man was (is) mad for both joy and woe. Because no one in the world made only for joy and no one is made only for sorrow both are equally important for the human life. There is no person in the world that has not feel happiness and there is no person in the world that has not feel sadness. Every person in the world has felt both the things. Because joy and woe are connected with each other, and man is made for both the things joy and woe. It is very right for the man to pass through joy and sorrow. 

In next two line poet says that when a person rightly know about this truth of life, that joy and woe are important at that or from that moment one can safely move or go through the world. Because if one person is in grief, he is not able to understand that after the pain there is joy is waiting for him/her. One started blaming ‘god’ life, and other persons. But if one understand that joy and woe are connected with each other. He started enjoying the life even in painful situation. For example if someone gives you only sweets every day, than what happen one day, you longing for some spicy things. The same things happened in our life that if one person is too much happy one cannot live more happily, the same thing happen with the sad person.         

In this stanza, the word ‘Were’ alliterate with ‘woe’.  Word ‘so’ and ‘woe’ rhymed with each other and the word ‘know’ and ‘go’ rhymed with each other.

In short if one understands the value of happiness and sadness in human life they can enjoy every situation of life. In this very short poem, poet tries to deliver the big massage of life, and the massage is that the joy and woe are linked with each other and equally important part of our life. If we understand that human is not made only for joy and not only for woe, but made for both the things. Without joy we cannot know the value of pain and without pain we cannot understand the price of joy. Poet tries to say that there is happy moment in sadness also, one have to try to be happy because joy and woe are woven together. Human kind is rightly made for both the things joy and woe.