Laugh and be Merry John Edward Masefield

 

 Laugh and be Merry John Edward Masefield

ADDITIONAL ENGLISH NOTES 

UNIT-3 POETRY 

John Masetid, John Edward Masefield -Laugh and be merry. 

Introduction

1 John Masetid-Laugh and be merry Introduction John Edward Masefield OM 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet, novelist, dramatist and journalist, writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. John Masefield's literary career was rich and varied, and although his reputation waned in later years, he is again being recognized for his wide range, encompassing ballads, nature poetry and mythological narrative, and for his attempt to make poetry a popular art. Among his best known works are the children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and the poems The Everlasting Mercy and "Sea-Fever" 

 

Born                  1 June 1878 Ledbury, Herefordshire, England 

Died                  12 May 1967 (aged 88) Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England 

Nationality         English Occupation Poet, writer 

Awards               Shakespeare Prize (1938) 

 

Laugh and be merry Theme 

Laugh and Be Merry is a poem written by the English poet John Masefield. John Masefield examines the theme of living 'Life' to the full In this poem, the poet wants us to be cheerful and be merry and live the 'Life' to the fullest and enjoy our life to the fullest. He also reminds us that we are like a temporary guest who stays in a beautiful inn for a while The poem “Laugh and be Merry” by John Masefield examines the theme of living 'Life' to the full. In this poem he urges us to be cheerful and be merry and live the 'Life' to the fullest. The primary idea of the creation of entire universe is for happiness of man. The poet reminds us that life is not a bed of roses.

 Laugh and be Merry Poem

Laugh and be merry, remember, better the world with a song,
Better the world with a blow in the teeth of a wrong.
Laugh, for the time is brief, a thread the length of a span.
Laugh and be proud to belong to the old proud pageant of man.

 

Laugh and be merry: remember, in olden time.
God made Heaven and Earth for joy He took in a rhyme,
Made them, and filled them full with the strong red wine of His mirth
The splendid joy of the stars: the joy of the earth.


So we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky,
Join the jubilant song of the great stars sweeping by,
Laugh, and battle, and work, and drink of the wine outpoured
In the dear green earth, the sign of the joy of the Lord.

Laugh and be merry together, like brothers akin,
Guesting awhile in the rooms of a beautiful inn,
Glad till the dancing stops, and the lilt of the music ends.
Laugh till the game is played; and be you merry, my friends.

 

 Laugh and be Merry Poem Summary

‘Laugh And Be Merry is a highly optimistic poem written by John Masefield. This poem makes a passionate plea to enjoy life to the maximum. The Poet says that sufferings are a part of our life, but we can over come them with a smile on our face. The Poet says that laugh and be merry should be the motto of our life. The Poet says that we can make the world better to live in by our joyous laughter. We can defend ourselves against pain of life by giving a blow in their face.

The Poet says that life is very short so we should enjoy each and every moment of it. Man is the loftiest creation of God. We should feel proud that we belong to this race.

 

The Poet says that God created this world for our enjoyment. He says that the world is like a vessel. God filled this vessel with strong and red wine of happiness and joy. God also created the sky and earth for our enjoyment. So we should feel and enjoy the beauty of all these beautiful natural objects. He has created sky for us. The sky is like a cup. He filled this cup with the wine of happiness and delight. We must drink from this cup, i.e., we must enjoy the beauty of twinkling stars and the moonlit sky. We must enjoy the beautiful procession of stars moving across the sky.

The Poet further advises us to fight the battle of life with a smile on our face. The Poet says that everything we see on this green earth is made by God for the enjoyment of mankind.

 

The Poet says that God created us all; so, we are like a brothers. Poet says that this world is like beautiful inn. We all are guests in the room of this inn for sometime. This means that life is short, like a stay in an inn. So we should sing and dance and enjoy life. Life is like a game and we should play it happily till the end. We should enjoy our life till the day of doom.

 

  Laugh and be Merry Poem Explanation

 

The poem 'Laugh and be merry' by John Masefield probes the premise of living life to the full. The poet advises that we should have a constructive outlook in life. Life is brief and it is not to be frittered away in sorrow and despair. He advocates us to get pleasure from our lives in this world, since the universe itself is a manifestation of the joyousness of God. Each instant of our life should be savoured and rejoiced. God created the moon and the stars for the happiness of human being. So we should be enlivened by God's purposeful creation.

 

The poet compares the world with an inn where all human beings are temporary guests. We should enjoy life till it comes to an end and till the music of life ends. Laugh and be merry for the world is a much better place with a happy song and to live in a world that is ready to blow in the teeth of wrong. We should be always conscious of the injustice and wrong doings of the world and strive to remedy them so that the world will remain a happy place to live in for all. We must not just rejoice but also be dynamic in tackling evil. Laugh and give no leave to sorrow or to worries for the life is short, a thread a length of span.

 

Laugh from the depth of your heart and with optimism and be proud to belong to the everlasting and spectacular procession of the human race; a pageant with an impressive display in celebration of life. Call to mind the olden times, when God created Heaven and Earth for joy. Just as a poet experiences the joy of creating a poem and is enthralled in the process, God was enraptured by His creation of the universe; the heaven and earth. He made them both and filled them with the strong red wine; a worldwide symbol of joy in most poetry; of His mirth; joviality or cheerfulness, particularly when consorted with laughter.

 

God has bestowed the universe with the splendid joy of the stars and the earth, we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky; derive complete delight we can by observing the sky, the birds, clouds, stars, and so on.

The sky is appears over us like an upturned cup and is blue in color; hence it is compared to a cup, probably to a cup of wine the symbol of joy. Each and every one is welcome to join the ecstatic song of the celestial figures. (It was a common belief in the ancient times that the astral figures created divine music as they revolve.)

 

All through the outpouring of the Heavenly wine we can continue to laugh, strive and struggle, work and drink for the Almighty shows His indication of joy on His beloved green earth. We should live as if we are brothers akin (related by blood. Here we can see a hint at the significance of universal brotherhood. Masefield then compares our sojourn on the earth to the life in an inn or a hotel. We are like the guests in an inn, living briefly, staying for a short time.

 

We check into (birth) and check out (death) from this splendid inn (the magnificent earth. Just like the guests in an inn stay for a short time, we stay for a short time on this earth. The guests enjoy to the full, the dance till the dancing stop and the music ends in the Ball room. Similarly we should enjoy our life to the last breath; and the song of life finishes. Life is compared to a game also. While playing we enjoy the game without fretting about victory or defeat. The game fills our mind with immense pleasure and thrill. Let us play the game of life cheerfully to the end.

 Laugh and be Merry Poem Interpretations

In his poems John Masefield expresses a love of ordinary of and all of life in its reality. He encourages us to enjoy our lives in this world, because the universe is itself an expression of the joy of God. The strong rhythm of the lines in itself suggests a joyful dance. Laughter is the best medicine. Laugh and be merry for the world is a much better place with a happy song and to live in a world that is ready to blow in the teeth of wrong; we must not only rejoice but also be active in attacking evil.

 

Laugh and give no place to sorrow or to worries for the time is brief, a thread a length of span; about nine inches: the distance between the tip of the thump and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully spread out, i.e. life is short and like a thread is easily lost. Laugh sincerely and hopefully to be proud enough to belong to the old pageant of man; procession with a spectacular display in celebration of a holiday.

 

Recall the ancient times, when God made Heaven and Earth for joy he took in a rhyme; identity in sound of some part: a word agreeing with another in terminal sound: verse or poetry having correspondence in the terminal sounds of the lines: a poem or piece of verse having such correspondence; He made them both and filled them with the strong red wine; a common symbol of joy in most poetry; of His mirth; gaiety or jollity, esp. when accompanied by laughter: amusement or laughter; because of the splendid joy.

 

Conclusion

The poem is philosophical which suggests the idea that life is a combination of happiness and sorrow and we should face the every challenge with strong courage. The poem suggests the need of positive attitude in life It teaches us that to laugh and be merry should be the motto of our life. We can make this world a better place to live in by spreading happiness. Life is very short; so, we should not waste in worry. We should feel proud that we are human beings, the loftiest creation of God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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