Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few [paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days, and years, slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day.

Sound sleep by night; study and ease
Together mix'd, sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please
With mediation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.

-- Alexander Pope, 1688-1744

I LOVE the stillness of the wood:
I love the music of the rill:
I love to couch in pensive mood
Upon some silent hill.

Scarce heard, beneath yon arching trees,
The silver-crested ripples pass;
And, like a mimic brook, the breeze
Whispers among the grass.

Here from the world I win release,
Nor scorn of men, nor footstep rude,
Break in to mar the holy peace
Of this great solitude.

Here may the silent tears I weep
Lull the vexed spirit into rest,
As infants sob themselves to sleep
Upon a mother's breast.

But when the bitter hour is gone,
And the keen throbbing pangs are still,
Oh, sweetest then to couch alone
Upon some silent hill!

To live in joys that once have been,
To put the cold world out of sight,
And deck life's drear and barren scene
With hues of rainbow-light.

For what to man the gift of breath,
If sorrow be his lot below;
If all the day that ends in death
Be dark with clouds of woe?

Shall the poor transport of an hour
Repay long years of sore distress-
The fragrance of a lonely flower
Make glad the wilderness?

Ye golden hours of Life's young spring,
Of innocence, of love and truth!
Bright, beyond all imagining,
Thou fairy-dream of youth!

I'd give all wealth that years have piled,
The slow result of Life's decay,
To be once more a little child
For one bright summer-day.


--- Lewis Carroll

Solitude was written on March 16, 1853. It appeared in The Train in 1856 and was the first time Charles Lutwidge Dodgson used the nom de plume Lewis Carroll.

When many think of Black Sabbath, they think of the voice of Ozzy Osbourne, chilling over dark, evil music supplied by guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist extrodinaire Geezer Butler. If they think of Bill Ward, the original drummer of the group, at all, it might be his failing heart condition. When one thinks of the music, they think of the creepy Black Sabbath, or perhaps the pounding Paranoid, maybe even the anthemic Iron Man or the anti-war diddy War Pigs. Last on the list of relations would be this track.

My name it means nothing // My fortune is less // My future is shrouded in dark wilderness

Solitude is perhaps one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. The music for the song is, as most every Sabbath tune, led by the superb basswork of Geezer Butler. On this tune, he creates a soft melody which is the main focus of the song, besides the softly sung lyrics of Bill Ward. Yep, Bill Ward. The drummer. This is one of the few Ozzy-era Sabbath songs that does not feature the Ozzman's voice (although, www.black-sabbath.com claims it IS Ozzy singing). Solitude also has no drums, but does feature an ethereal flute playing throughout.

Oh where can I go to and what can I do? // Nothing can please me only thoughts are of you // You just laughed when I begged you to stay // I've not stopped crying since you went away

The lyrics are dark, and feature the sadness created by the loss of a loved one, "Nothing can please me only thoughts are of you /// You just laughed when I begged you to stay /// I've not stopped crying since you went away." It is similar to the other sad Sabbath ballad, Changes, in the feelings it creates in the listener. The first times I heard both tracks, I was almost moved to tears.

The world is a lonely place you're on your own // Guess I will go home sit down and moan // Crying and thinking is all that I do // Memories I have remind me of you

---

All italicized text is lyrics from the song, written by the four members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne as it appears on the classic album Master of Reality. All links were added by Yours Truly, Thank you for not suing. CST Approved

Sol"i*tude (?), n. [F., from L. solitudo, solus alone. See Sole, a.]

1.

state of being alone, or withdrawn from society; a lonely life; loneliness.

Whosoever is delighted with solitude is either a wild beast or a god. Bacon.

O Solitude! where are the charms That sages have seen in thy face? Cowper.

2.

Remoteness from society; destitution of company; seclusion; -- said of places; as, the solitude of a wood.

The solitude of his little parish is become matter of great comfort to him. Law.

3.

solitary or lonely place; a desert or wilderness.

In these deep solitudes and awful cells Where heavenly pensive contemplation dwells. Pope.

Syn. Loneliness; soitariness; loneness; retiredness; recluseness. -- Solitude, Retirement, Seclusion, Loneliness. Retirement is a withdrawal from general society, implying that a person has been engaged in its scenes. Solitude describes the fact that a person is alone; seclusion, that he is shut out from others, usually by his own choice; loneliness, that he feels the pain and oppression of being alone. Hence, retirement is opposed to a gay, active, or public life; solitude, to society; seclusion, to freedom of access on the part of others; and loneliness, enjoyment of that society which the heart demands.

O blest retirement, friend to life's decline. Goldsmith.

Such only can enjoy the country who are capable of thinking when they are there; then they are prepared for solitude; and in that [the country] solitude is prepared for them. Dryden.

It is a place of seclusion from the external world. Bp. Horsley.

These evils . . . seem likely to reduce it [a city] ere long to the loneliness and the insignificance of a village. Eustace.

 

© Webster 1913.