“Sympathy” Introduction

• Read the full text of “Sympathy”

“Sympathy” Summary

“Sympathy” Themes

• 

  The Value of Human Kindness

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sympathy”

• Lines 1-4

  I lay in sorrow, deep distressed;
  My grief a proud man heard;
  His looks were cold, he gave me gold,
  But not a kindly word.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 5-8

  My sorrow passed I paid him back
  The gold he gave to me;
  Then stood erect and spoke my thanks
  And blessed his charity.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 9-12

  I lay in want, grief, and pain;
  A poor man passed my way;
  He bound my head, he gave me bread,
  He watched me night and day.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 13-16

  How shall I pay him back again
  For all he did to me?
  Oh, gold is great, but greater far
  Is heavenly Sympathy.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

“Sympathy” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Parallelism

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Aphorism

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Rhetorical Question

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Asyndeton

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“Sympathy” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Deep
• Kindly
• Erect
• Want
• Bound
• Heavenly Sympathy

• • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sympathy”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Sympathy” Speaker

“Sympathy” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Sympathy”

More “Sympathy” Resources

• External Resources

  • Victorian Poetry — Learn more about the society in which Mackay lived and wrote.

  • How to Write a Ballad — Try your hand at writing a poem using the same form that Mackay turns to in "Sympathy."

  • Mackay's Biography and Obituary — A piece offering wide-ranging insight into Mackay's life and work.

  • The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a recording of "Sympathy" read aloud.