[I’m happiest now when most away]

[I’m happiest now when most away]

By Emily Brontë - 1818-1848

 

I’m happiest now when most away

I can tear my soul from its mould of clay,

On a windy night when the moon is bright,

And my eye can wander through worlds of light.

 

When I am not, and none beside,

   Nor earth, nor sea, nor cloudless sky,

But only spirit wandering wide

   Through infinite immensity.

 

 

About the Poem

 

“I’m Happiest When Most Away” by novelist Emily Brontë is short and meaningful. The speaker in this poem enjoys taking time alone to disengage from the world and contemplate life. The poem can be interpreted in many ways– one of which is that peaceful, quiet contemplation can have a positive impact on one’s life. Readers can infer that the speaker’s life wouldn’t be worth living without this time for contemplation.

 

About the Poet

 

Emily Jane Brontë, born on July 30, 1818, in Thornton, England, was a novelist and poet from the Romantic era. She is the author of the novel Wuthering Heights (Thomas Cautley Newby, 1847), today regarded as a classic of English literature. She died on December 19, 1848.