Solitude By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone;

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

Sigh, it is lost on the air;

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

Grieve, and they turn and go;

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

Be sad, and you lose them all, —

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

For a large and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

Through 

the narrow aisles of pain.

1. Explain the following lines in your own words. 

(i) Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone; 

Ans: The poet has revealed the rude reality of life here. When we're happy, others will join us our happiness. Laughter is contagious, so when we laugh, others will also smile and feel joy with us. But when we are sad and crying, we often find ourself alone. People tend to avoid being around us when we are in despair. 

(ii) Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

But no man can help you die.

Ans: When we succeed and share our success with others, it makes them feel good. It is success and generosity that brings joy to our life and help us to connect with others. However, when we are endangered, hardly they come to assist us. Everyone has to face his own difficulties alone at the end of the day. 

2. Why do the mountains echo the songs that we sing but not our sighs? 

According to the analysis of the poet, echoes respond only to joyful sounds. The mountain or the natural world, only return happy sounds, such as singing. They avoid responding to sadness or sorrowfulness. The world reflects only to happiness and positivity but doesn’t react to our negative emotions.

3. When do you have many friends and when do they leave you? 

When we become successful, when we feast, when we laugh and glad, we have many friends around us. According to the poet, it is our happiness that attracts friends. Our friends like to get share of our joy. But they don’t like to get share of our woe. On the contrary, when we are sad, there is no one to listen and share our sorrows. The poem says that sadness makes people turn away from us, leaving us alone. 

4. Write a summary of the poem in your own words (100 words)

Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox not merely a poem. It is a great satire on us, our thoughts, and our level of thinking. The poetess was famous for her constructing social criticism. In this poem, she unveiled the selfish nature of human being – the best creation of God. She clarifies that our friends are not a friend in need. They are friends of our good times. At the end of the day, everyone has to carry his or her own sorrow. This is the rude reality of life. We cannot decline what the Poetess says to us in this poem. We should think deeply about this poem. 

5. What happens when you rejoice, according to the poem?

When we rejoice, people seek us out. They become our friends and want to share our joy with themselves. According to the poet, they never say no to our hard-earned “wine”. People are drawn to those who are happy and cheerful because they want to get share of the joy.

6. What happens to a “sigh” in the poem?

A sigh is lost on the air. When we sigh, expressing sadness or frustration, it doesn't get noticed or acknowledged by the world around us. Nobody pays heed to our sighs and ultimately, they disappear into the air. 

7. What happens when you grieve in Solitude?

When we grieve, people turn away from us. They do not want to be around sorrow. They only want to get the share of joy and happiness. This is the rude reality of life. This reflects how our friends avoid us in difficulties, leaving us to deal with it alone.

8. What do people want from you, according to the poet? 

According to the poetess, people want the full measure of our pleasure. They enjoy sharing our happiness and successes, but they do not want to be involved in our suffering or sorrow. If we succeed, if we feast, if we give, they are happy. But they are not interested about our sorrows and sufferings. 

9. What does the poem say about drinking life's "nectared wine" in the poem?

The poem says that when you're happy, people will be around to drink your "nectared wine" with you. This refers to how, in times of happiness, people are eager to share in your pleasures and good times. However, when you're sad, you are left to drink life's "gall" alone, symbolizing we must face our distress alone. 

10. What must you drink alone? 

We must drink life's "gall" alone. "Gall" symbolizes the hardships, pain, or suffering in life. The poem suggests that when you're facing difficulties, you will have to endure them alone, without the company or support of others. Our friends will come and take share of “nectared wine”, not of the “gall”.