Alone!-that worn-out word, So idly spoken, and so coldly heard; Yet all that poets sing and grief hath known Of hopes laid waste, knells in that word ALONE!

Alone is a worn-out word, spoken lightly and heard coldly. Yet the poet says it carries all the grief and ruined hope that poetry has ever sung. So one plain, overused word ends up holding a huge, tolling sorrow.

Context reviewed 28 September 2026