“Melancholy cry”: investigating the meaning of melancholy through Edward Thomas' "The Owl" and The Weeknd's "My Dear Melancholy,"

 

   

The cover art can be obtained from XO and Republic Records.

The careful use of the word melancholy to describe the owl’s cry by Edward Thomas in “The Owl” sparked a feeling of sudden gloominess that I found particularly similar to the one in the EP “My Dear Melancholy,” by Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd). In both works, Thomas and Tesfaye dwell on memories as they are triggered by losses, disappointments, or deep longing for something. Although one is a poem and the other is an extended play (mini album), both portray this feeling of intense sadness with a heightened awareness of their emotions and surroundings that feel inescapable. 

The Owl Poem by Edward Thomas with original wood engraving by Geri Waddington

Interestingly, the EP's title, “My Dear Melancholy,” ends with a comma, suggesting uncertainty and the difficulty of navigating such a shaking feeling. Similarly, I noticed the enjambment between the second stanza and the third stanza of the poem; this showcases the implications of the owl’s cry, where the speaker later feels absorbed by this “melancholy cry” (Thomas, line 8) that left the speaker shaken. The fourth stanza shows the speaker’s difficulty in navigating this sudden melancholy, while Abel Tesfaye plays it out through 6 tracks showcasing a more detailed flood of emotions. 

Works Cited

Thomas, Edward. “The Owl .” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53777/the-owl-56d23364d7256. Accessed 3 June 2023.

Tesfaye, Abel (The Weeknd) “My Dear Melancholy,” Apple Music, 30 Mar. 2018, music.apple.com/us/album/my-dear-melancholy/1363309866.

(The EP ^^)