So We'll Go No More a Roving

• Summary

  • Byron expresses fatigue and exhaustion regarding his decadent lifestyle, and is regretful that he wasted the first years of his life on such activities.
  • Desire to grow up, to no longer "rove" and wander aimlessly, wanting to find his own direction.
• Context

  • Poem was a letter to a friend, Thomas Moore, whilst in Venice.
  • Byron felt ill effects after continuous nights out at carnivals, and here he declares he'll no longer continue with reckless overindulgence.
• Title analysis

  • "Roving" means to travel constantly and aimlessly. This is a metaphor for Byron's own life, through this poem we see his regrets of wasting his youth.
  • "We'll" collective pronoun represents all of humanity, that ageing and death is inevitable and an integral part of human life.
• Rhyme and Meter

  • Mixture of iambic trimeter and tetrameter, divided between Byron's hedonism and hedonistic lifestyle.
  • ABAB rhyme scheme with a soft lullaby tone, sense of melancholy and reflection.
  • Long, low vowel sounds of "roving" creates a sense of intimacy and longing.
  • Musical assonance throughout, linking to ballad tradition of storytelling folk songs.
• Stanza summary

  Stanza 1 - decision, sense of uncertainty.

  Stanza 2 - reasons.

  Stanza 3 - decisive, sense of finality through imperatives.
• "So, we'll go no more a roving"

  • In Media Res creates a conversational and casual tone, however the poem was written in the form of a ballad.
  • Caesura suggests a difficult decision, Byron pauses to contemplate his youth and hedonism.
  • Plural pronoun "we'll" universalises the experience, applying it to all of humanity, highlighting death and ageing are integral parts of life.
  • Enjambment suggests that the "roving" doesn't stop/is difficult to put an end to, creating a sense of fluidity.
• "So late into the night."

  • "Night" and darkness associated with Byron's hedonistic lifestyle and his inability to be openly licentious/sexual, only being able to indulge in his lifestyle under the cover of darkness (alludes to his bisexuality).
  • "late" may allude to ageing, as Byron wrote this in his late 20s. Byron may convey here that he is approaching death, although he is still young.
• "For the sword outwears its sheath."

  • Sibilance shows similarity of "sword" and "soul," both concealed by clothing. Extends delicate sounds, suggesting a sense of fragility and perhaps suggests life itself is fragile.
  • Phallic imagery of "sword," Byron wasn't shy about sexuality.
  • Evokes an older, more glamorous time of the Chivalric Tradition, linking to traditional masculinity.
  • "outwears its sheath" conveys ageing, being worn out. A "sword" is sharp, reflects desires still being keen but the speaker's body has grown tired. Physical decay from scandalous lifestyle.
• "And the soul wears out the breast."

  • Synecdoche for the body is a reference to ageing. Shows how thoughts, feelings, and actions take a toll on people's bodies and lives.
  • Anaphora creates an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, repeated damage from a hedonistic lifestyle.
  • This line echoes the one before it, implies that the speaker is spiritually prepared ("soul") for the challenges of life, but his physical body ("breast") is worn out.
• "Though the night was made for loving."

  • Sexual connotations of "night" relating to Byron's inability to indulge in his sexuality and scandalous lifestyle during the day.
  • Relates to the Church's shame and secrecy placed upon sexual relations, views openness of sexuality as sinful.
  • Through this Byron may present that sexuality is not shameful, linking this sexual imagery to "loving."
  • Gentle 'm' alliteration later reflects speaker's blissful pondering, suggests a sense of nostalgia towards youth.
  • Euphemistic language "made for loving" alludes to sex.
• "Yet we'll go no more a roving // By the light of the moon."

  • Repetition of the poem's first line/title, may create a sense of dread for ageing or the finality of the speaker's decision.
  • Cyclical structure suggests speaker will likely repeat this lifestyle.
  • "light" suggests an illumination of the truth, may link to shamefulness placed on sexual relations.
  • Frequent 'o' sounds create a melancholy, reflective tone linking the poem's ballad form.
  • Romantic imagery of the "moon," perhaps suggests a declaration of love as well as the Romantic view of the sublime.