8. Analysis

The poem "When I set out for Layonnesse" by Thomas Hardy talks about how every individual need to connect with oneself spiritually once in a while. In the beginning of the poem, the poet compares his sad, gloomy mood to a chill winter season, where there is frost on trees. He also names the place as Layonnesse. which means lost, as he gets loses all his sad lonesomeness in the place. It is also believed that Layonnesse was a land that got submerged under water thousands of years ago, which makes it a mystical land. He says that prophets and wizards cannot foretell what he might experience in this magical land. He believes that the journey is more exciting when one does not know what he has in stock for him. This is also probably why he does not reveal what exactly he achieved from Layonnesse in the poem, as it is always exciting to wonder about something. Life also has meaning only when there is a suspense.