Pity Me Not Because the
Light of Day

Content
Themes

Ideas

• Effects of Time
• Loss of Love “At close of day” signifies the breaking down of a relationship • Cycles “as the year goes by” gives reference to seasons, “waning of the moon” meaning getting smaller
(instead of ‘waxing of the moon’ which is getting bigger). ‘Waning’ means getting smaller. Is the writer implying that love is dying? In addition, “ebbing tide” also means the sea is declining.

• “Pity me that the heart is slow to learn what the swift mind beholds at every turn” shows that the persona favours his mind over his heart. It contrasts that of the rest of the poem (“pity me not”) which is reflective of the Shakespearean sonnet style in that it has a twist at the end. • “Strewing fresh wreckage”. The writer describes love as destructive.
• Use of the word “desire” in place of
‘love’ makes it seem more of a transient and less meaningful relationship. More similar to lust.

Structure
• Sonnet (14 lines).
• Classic Shakespearean poem because it includes a contradiction at the end which adds a twist on the whole poem “Pity me that the heart is slow to learn what the swift mind beholds at every turn.”
• Iambic pentameter gives a steady rhythm (10 syllables per line) with alternate stressed/unstressed syllables. This gives flow to the poem when spoken and overlays it with a controlled melancholy tone.

“And you no longer look with love on me” contains a second person pronoun – you – which makes it appear that the persona is directly addressing his love personally. This line also reveals the purpose of the poem and the reason for the melancholy tone.

Languag e The poet has included violent imagery in the second half of the poem. For example,
“assails” (attacks) and “Strewing fresh wreckage” which changes the mood into one of annoyance or anger after admitting that his love no longer looks with love on him.
It describes love as destructive and uncaring. “Pity me that the heart is slow to learn What the swift mind beholds at every turn”. This rhyming couplet adds emphasis to the
Shakespearean twist which reflects the chosen form as well as allowing the words to roll off the tongue – adding a smoother flow.
“Nor that a man’s desire is hushed so soon”. The