So We’ll Go No More a-Roving – George Gordon Byron

The poem ‘So we’ll go no more a-roving’ by George Byron centers around the English Romantic ideas of nature to represent the divine as well as the reviving of devalued imagination. Byron’s poem was included as part of a personal letter sent to his unwell friend, Thomas Moore, in which Byron claims he suffers from a different kind of sickness. George Byron’s sickness is the wearing out of his principles as well as his physical body due to excessive partying during his over-lived Italian Christmas season.

In the first stanza of the poem, Byron presents the reader with a decision to discontinue his partying habits. However, he also shows the reader that he still desires the idea of partying. The coordinating conjunction, ‘so’ initiates the poem which creates a sense of conclusion to begin the poem. This shows the reader that the persona has successfully come to a decision. Majority of the poem consists of a trochaic tetrameter which parallels with the strict ‘ab’ rhyme scheme. This reiterates the idea that Byron is sure of his decision to cleanse his spirit, however also shows that he is attempting to convince himself that he believes in his decision to which the reader quickly finds out that this is untrue. Byron presents the reader with his belief that he should no longer party but portrays an underlying desire to continue to party. The third line commences with the subordinate conjunction ‘though’ to contrast from the first two lines. This represents the contradicting side of Byron’s argument not to party. The second couplet in the first stanza, uses parallel structure, ‘heart still be as loving’ and ‘moon still be as bright’. Byron’s nouns, ‘heart’ and ‘moon’ reference nature, common to English Romantics and thus portray human nature in its adamant desire and passion, similar to the adjectives ‘loving’ and ‘bright’. Perhaps Byron is trying to persuade Thomas Moore that illness can be prevented, but not without end. The poem portrays a belief that he should no longer party but portrays an underlying desire to continue to party.

The second stanza portrays Byron’s undying desire to party which contradicts with his idea that he should stop to cleanse his mind and soul. Byron shows both sides of his internal argument by describing the physical and psychological effects of quitting. The first line of the stanza, ‘for the sword outwears its sheath’ contains symbolism through the use of concrete nouns. The phallic symbolism of the ‘sword’ outlasting its ‘sheath’ otherwise known as its body conveys to the reader that the personas partying nature is causing physical harm on his body and therefore a reason to stop. The second line of the stanza, ‘and the soul outwears the breast’ also symbolizes emotion and desire versus the human body and its physical capabilities. As well as this, the soul represents the afterlife, a common English Romantic theme, which shows that the decision not to party will clear his conscious and thus his spirit and enabling him to be free from sins. This stanza shows the reader both sides to the argument of enjoying oneself as well as portraying the personas deep uncertainty. The third line of the second stanza contains the ironic statement, ‘the heart must pause to breathe’. The verb ‘breathe’ represents inevitable action which to the persona is to drink and enjoy and without it his life will come to an end. Perhaps Byron is persuading himself that partying will not hinder him, but help him as it is his human nature, but discreetly as he knows it is untrue. The second stanza contains both sides to the argument of enjoying oneself as well as portraying the personas deep uncertainty.

The third and final stanza once again contains a final decision to cease bad habits despite desire. The last decision concludes unsure as this stanza predominantly portrays desire to continue his habits. The stanza begins with, ‘though the night was made for loving’. The coordinating conjunction proves to portray yet another internal argument within the persona which is continued by the verb ‘made’ which persuades the reader to believe that loving is necessary. In the second line in the last stanza, ‘day’ represents soberness and cleansing, however the quantifier ‘too’ shows the reader that Byron is unable to convince himself to do what he believes is the right decision. The final stanza shows the reader uncertainty in the persona as he makes his final decision. The concluding line to the poem, ‘by the light of the moon’ directly references nature and therefore human nature. This reference represents night time at its best which is being guided by the moons ‘light’, however the poets decision not to party is evident as he links this idea to the title on the previous line, thus once again proving to the reader he has not decided whether to continue to party or not. Perhaps Byron tries to persuade Thomas Moore that everything has two sides to its argument generally involving the heart versus the brain. The third and final stanza once again contains a final decision to cease bad habits despite desire.

I believe Byron’s internal uncertainty regarding his decision to not party shows the reader that bad decisions can often be tempting, and feel as though they are the right ones, but later on one will always have to suffer consequences.