You will hear and read many things about these poems. Everyone has an idea about what "X" means. In Shakespeare studies, the example is oft cited about the "three witches." There are literally a thousand versions of what they symbolize; each writer is sure that they have it right, and they are all different. The worst thing you can do is to try to flatten the allegory. Try to read each one on a basic level, then branch out, like hypertext, to different levels. Then you will get years of enjoyment from the poem: I have been reading this poem for forty years, and I still see new things.
On a basic level, you have a few settings for the starter image from which to expand outwards. My reading ( and I invite you to create your own) of the starter image is that it is a description of a dual world, one in which the person is buried alive in a marble tomb with no light, which at the same time is mirrored in the "above" world by being trapped inside one's body as a sort of creative/spiritual tomb. In this sense, it is directly derived from Elizabethan theories of existence of "as above, so below", in which everything in heaven is mirrored on earth. The twist is, "as above so below" is moved to a focal plane of earth and hell. It is like taking the elevator one floor down in a Bosch triptych. In this reference frame, you can then read different qualities to the lines of the poem. In a different frame you would see different meanings, and so it goes, and so it should go. Rather than assigning a specific correspondence, you can see that the weeping of the marble walls resonates simultaneously on the level of the real properties of stone, contemporaneous ideas of underground tombs, the musical lamentations of both sacred and secular music, and Dowland's signature piece, Lachrimae. Some of these belong to both worlds--the internal, creative hell as well as the "vanitas" quality of Dowland falling out of favor at home even as Lachrimae become more popular abroad. The "roof despair" can refer to the inversion of the Elizabethan world view of :as above so below: by removing salvation from the resonance of the two worlds, but can also refer to any number of things such as lack of inspiration "light". It can also, again on the "real" or immediate level, have the basic feeling of being trapped inside a real stone tomb and being unable to move the lid. And these that I mention, are only a few of a hundred ways to read the poem. There are dozens of cross references to Dowland's own songs possible, as well as the poems and songs of his contemporaries, such as the Danyel brothers, (Grief, keep within), Fulke Greville, Greaves and even Campion, as well as classical writers. As far as "ground" goes, I don't read that as a pun on the musical ground, although I do read "sleep" as a substitute for death or even poisoning as it is so used by other poets (e.g., Care-charming sleep). Many of these words have musical meanings, like "accent" or "relish", but such a musical pun in this context doen not seem to have quite the right tone to my ear. It is not, in short, Danyel's "Like as the lute delights". Dipping into the historical side, there are countless examples from English history and Classical Mythology which would have been well known to the Elizabethans. References such as Antigone, St Castullus and the Vestal Virgins are common in the literature. Specifically looking for those who suffered the same fate twice also brings up lesser known references, which though now obscure would have been familiar at the time, such as the intriguing legend of Saint Otteran, which is particularly interesting in regards to this poem and the religious controversies of the time. Enjoy rereading the poem and replaying the song. I always have; I always will. dt At 08:58 PM 12/2/2009, you wrote: >A music student at my local college wants me to play lute >for her senior capstone recital, and one of her choices of >song is Dowland's "In Darkness Let Me Dwell". I have >pondered these words for some years now, and it seems >obvious to me that "The ground, the ground shall sorrow >be..." has multiple connotations - physically ground as in >the foundation of a building, and musically ground as in >variations on a ground. "The roof despair..." and "...walls >of marble black..." are obvious comparisons to a room or >building, but could they have musical connotations as >well?? Could the roof be the highest note in the range of >the song? Following this line of thought, what would >"The walls of marble, black" mean? Am I just pulling this >out of my hat, or did the Elizabethans talk about their >music in terms like these, other than ground? > BTW, I love Ellen Hargis' recording of this with Jacob >Heringman, lute and Mary Springfels, Viol on "A Candle >In The Dark". What are some of your favorite recordings >of "Darkness"? > Thanks, > Tom >Tom Draughon >Heartistry Music >http://www.heartistry.com/artists/tom.html >714 9th Avenue West >Ashland, WI 54806 >715-682-9362 > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
