# Song: Hush, Hush! Tread Softly! explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by John Keats.

## What happens

A lover urges his beloved Isabel to move silently through the house, fearing the jealous old man may hear them. He describes the stillness of the night and the moon's absence, finding all the light he needs in Isabel's eyes and lips. They steal away to a flowery seat, where their love will bloom and be celebrated in nature's quiet harmony.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Loss

The poem captures the intensity and secrecy of forbidden love, with the constant threat of discovery by the 'jealous old bald-pate.'

### Nature and Imagination

Nature imagery—the still river, the moon, the shut rose, the stock-dove—mirrors and enhances the lovers' secret tryst.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker, a lover addressing Isabel with urgent tenderness.

### Isabel

The beloved, addressed as 'sweet Isabel,' whose eyes and lips are the speaker's only light.

## Key lines

> Hush, hush! tread softly! hush, hush, my dear! All the house is asleep, but we know very well That the jealous, the jealous old bald-pate may hear

Be quiet and move carefully, my love; everyone in the house is sleeping, but we are aware that the jealous old man might overhear us.

_The speaker warns Isabel to be silent to avoid detection by the old man._

> No leaf doth tremble, no ripple is there On the river,—all's still, and the night's sleepy eye Closes up, and forgets all its Lethean care

Not a leaf stirs, the river is perfectly calm, and the night, like a drowsy eye, shuts itself, forgetting all its sorrows as if by Lethe's waters.

_The stillness of the night is emphasized, creating a setting of perfect secrecy._

> The shut rose shall dream of our loves and awake Full-blown, and such warmth for the morning take

The closed rosebud will dream of our love and open fully, absorbing warmth for the coming morning.

_The lovers' passion is so intense that it will cause a rose to bloom._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/song-hush-hush-tread-softly
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters