Stanza I
Line 1, Lethe: river in the underworld Hades in which souls about to be
reborn bathed to forget the past; hence, river of forgetfulness.
Line 2, wolf's-bane: poison.
Line 4, nightshade: poison.
Proserpine: the queen of the underworld.
Prosperpine was kidnapped by Pluto and taken to Hades, his kingdom. Her mother Demeter, the goddess
of fertility and grain, grieved for her loss and the earth became sterile. Proserpine was returned to her
mother for six months each year when Demester's joy is reflected in fertility and crops. Proserpine's
story, with its connection to the change of the seasons, is appropriate for this poem.
Line 5, yew-berries: symbol of mourning. The yew is traditionally
associated with mourning.
rosary: prayer beads.
Line 6, beetle: The Egyptians regarded the beetle as sacred; as a symbol
of resurrection, a jewel-beetle or scarab was placed in tombs.
death-moth: the death's head moth, so
called because its markings resemble a human skull.
Line 7, Psyche: in Greek, the soul or mind as well as butterfly (used as
its emblem).
Line 8, mysteries: secret rites.
Stanza III
Line 8, palate: the roof of the mouth, hence, the sense of taste;
sometimes, intellectual or aesethetic taste.
fine: refined,
sensitive.
"Ode to Melancholy" || Core Studies
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