Elegy of "The Old Familiar Faces" by Charles Lamb: Tragedy, Loss, and Nostalgia

"The Old Familiar Faces" is a poem written by Charles Lamb that expresses feelings of loss, nostalgia, and longing. It truly suits his writing style. He exudes a romantic and nostalgic disposition, with every word soaked in pathos. As someone who has experienced these emotions himself, this poem becomes very poignant and relatable to his personal history. Lamb, a brilliant conversationalist, was one of a circle of important contemporary writers that included Coleridge, William Hazlitt, Leigh Hunt, Robert Southey, and William Wordsworth. Lamb's words was often perceptive and original. He had a particular gift for analyzing character and his sensitivity and perceptiveness made him a valuable person and friend. Some of his best writings were in letters to his friends, essays but this short elegiac poem is also noteworthy.

The poem is written in four stanzas, each with four lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, which creates a sense of feminine musicality and rhythm. This structure reinforces the idea that the speaker is reflecting on memories from the past in a structured, almost methodical way.

"The Old Familiar Faces" alludes to the well-known family tragedy in which Lamb's sister Mary, temporarily insane, murdered their mother. All this happens when he was a 23 years old. Lamb's revision omits the explicit mention of the "day of horrors," but its emotional impact remains palpable, shaping the poem's unique and compelling form.

Charles Lamb

Through the poem, Lamb navigates the depths of grief, pondering the whereabouts of the "old familiar faces" that have departed from his life. He mourns the loss of his mother, who died prematurely, and laments the absence of others who were once dear to him. Despite the weight of these tragedies, Lamb looks beyond the horrific day to his childhood and earlier youth, where he finds solace in memories of innocent happiness. However, these moments of joy are forever lost, never to be reclaimed. The poem begins with Lamb acknowledging that he had friends and companions during his childhood and school days. Lamb reflects on his youth, remembering times when he laughed and drank with his closest friends. But now they are gone:

"I have had playmates, I have had companions,

In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days,

All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.

I have been laughing, I have been carousing,

Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies,

All, all are gone, the old familiar faces."

Lamb remembers a past love who was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. However, her doors are now closed to him, and he can no longer see her. Lamb once left his friend abruptly and now regrets it. They are all in oblivions. Their memories are like his dream children, a reverie:

"I loved a love once, fairest among women;

Closed are her doors on me, I must not see her —

All, all are gone, the old familiar faces."

"I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man;

Like an ingrate, I left my friend abruptly;

Left him, to muse on the old familiar faces."

Lamb then describes his search for the "old familiar faces" as he walks through the haunts of his childhood. The imagery of the speaker as "ghost-like" reinforces the idea of loss and the sense that the past is no longer tangible or accessible. The image of the earth as a desert adds to this idea of emptiness and the sense of being lost:

"Ghost-like I paced round the haunts of my childhood,

Earth seemed a desert I was bound to traverse,

Seeking to find the old familiar faces."

Then directly addressing a listener, Lamb reflects on the fact that some of his friends have died, while others have simply left his life. Some have been taken away from him, perhaps by distance or circumstance. All of these people are now gone, leaving only memories of the "old familiar faces." The repetition of the phrase "all are gone" emphasizes the finality of this loss and the sense of emptiness that comes with it:

"How some they have died, and some they have left me,

And some are taken from me; all are departed;

All, all are gone, the old familiar faces."

Lamb's poem captures a sense of longing and nostalgia as he grapples with the irreparable nature of his personal tragedies. It reflects his Romantic inclination, delving into deep emotions and exploring the themes of loss, memory, and the fleeting nature of happiness. Through his introspective verses, Lamb invites readers to contemplate the fragility of life, the enduring impact of sorrow, and the bittersweet yearning for what is forever gone. The speaker is mourning the loss of people who were once important to him, and he longs to be able to see them again. The poem also highlights the idea that time passes quickly and that people and things are constantly changing, which can be both comforting and unsettling.

The language of the poem is simple and direct, but it is also very evocative. The use of words like "familiar faces" and "old friends" creates a sense of intimacy and familiarity that draws the reader in. The imagery in the poem is also very powerful, particularly the description of the speaker's "aching heart" and the idea that memories are like "ghosts" that haunt him.

Ardhendu De

References:

1. Poem of the week: The Old Familiar Faces by Charles Lamb. (2014, May 26). The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/may/26/poem-of-the-week-the-old-familiar-faces-charles-lamb

2. The Old Familiar Faces by Charles Lamb | Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44519/the-old-familiar-faces