The pleasure that is in sorrow is sweeter than the pleasure of pleasure itself. – Percy Bysshe Shelley
Today’s WordPress Daily Prompt is the word Recite and it is a daunting cue, but not impossible. The prompt invites bloggers to reason and interpret the idea of the word, “recite.”
Each WordPress Prompt is a word planned to help bloggers to think of something to write for his or her blog. This is naturally risky in that the blogger can seem foolish, but the appearance of stupidity must be risked if you want an audience. I just want to run over for you that it would be common to recite a poem, of course, and if I had to mention a poet, I would consider Shelley.
How is it that pleasure in sorrow can be sweet? How can sorrow provide any pleasure, if it is a condition of suffering? I think of these two questions when I contemplate what Shelley said.
Sorrow occurs when there is an overwhelming loss in the life of an individual.
This can devastate you. It can unravel you from within, as though you were a wool effigy mounted on the hearth or in the vestibule. It is not a state of pleasure, almost definitely not, and yet Shelley possibly felt that it was, or it could be, and I take it the poet experienced that kind of pleasure as being of the highest order.
How is it that we can be anything else than embittered by the peril of sorrow and suffering? How is it possible that we can encounter the pleasure of all things during the turmoil of the condition of sorrow?
What is there to be had from entering into a state of sorrow with the expectation that the desired outcome should be a pleasure? Why did a search for Shelley return that quote?
The search says Shelley was an Englishman who died in 1822. Don’t tell me what I’ll find if there are depths of sorrow ahead. It’s a depressing thought, and I don’t blame you if you aren’t ready to “like” this.
You’re free to, however, to “like” this post if you see fit, and to comment and/or to “follow.” I hope you’re all right, and I know that unhappiness is challenging if you are feeling low. Unexpected avenues of pleasure become evident sometimes, and while I urge you to steer clear of sorrow, you are welcome to every drop of pleasure you can extract.
Good luck.
The Myth of the Independent Blogger and How I Learned to Love It 
Enjoyed your post. I’m not a great history person myself, but I did do a search on Shelley and came up on this: http://www.historyinanhour.com/2013/07/08/the-death-of-percy-bysshe-shelley/ Thought you might find it interesting also. It makes me think that pleasure in sorrow might depend on how much sorrow someone had experienced, but I would not suppose to know what Shelley was thinking. Thanks for sharing.
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It is reassuring to me that you engaged me with a comment. Your blog, I see, is Scripture matched with prayer? While I do not want to seem unlearned in comparison, it is worth admitting that the page about Shelley helped me better understand the significance of his poetry. I hope this post I’ve written mentioning him is interpreted in the best possible light. I will remember what I learned about Shelley with your help, and perhaps the knowledge will be useful somewhere else, too. Thank you.
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Thank you, your post inspired me to inquire about Shelley who I knew very little about. He appears to have been a very troubled young man but certainly a talented writer. It’s always a good thing to be open to learning. Keep up the good work.
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You are most welcome. I have read poems of yours, haven’t I? I was moved by the article about what became of Shelley. Your observations are very good and I likewise am pleased with the assistance and with the compliment you have paid me. I have just written a post for today that says a little more about how you helped me to clarify my thoughts yesterday. I’ll publish it quite shortly.
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