"To a Skylark"

Poetry | Percy Bysshe Shelley
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“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.”

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Explain the following line:

“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.”

“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought” is a famous line from P. B. Shelley’s (1792-1822) poem “To a Skylark” (1820). By this line, Shelley means that the most beautiful, moving songs or poems humans create often come from sadness.

When Shelley says “sweetest songs,” he is talking about the art (like music, poetry) that touches us deeply. These are the works that feel meaningful or stay with us long after we hear them. He argues that sadness adds depth to art. Happiness is simple and light, but sadness carries weight—like heartbreak, loss, or longing. When artists pour these heavy feelings into their work, it becomes more powerful. For example, a sad song about losing someone might make listeners cry, but it also makes them feel understood.

style="font-weight: 400;">In the poem, Shelley contrasts human songs with the skylark’s song. The poet says the skylark sings out of pure joy—without sadness, regret, or pain. Human beings, however, always carry emotions—like loss, disappointment, and fear. Because of this, even the happiest human songs still have sadness in them. Our sweetest songs come from the saddest thoughts. At the end of the poem, Shelley requests the skylark to teach humans to feel the same pure joy as the bird.

In conclusion, this line suggests that human life is full of sorrow, and that is why our best songs and poems carry sadness. Shelley admires the skylark because it is free from such pain and can sing with pure happiness.

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Percy Bysshe Shelley
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