# Epigraph explained — The Return of the Native

> Chapter companion for The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy.

## What happens

The epigraph introduces the theme of sorrow as a constant, almost affectionate companion, setting a melancholic tone for the novel.

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Sacrifice

Sorrow is personified as a constant, loving companion, suggesting that suffering is an inescapable part of life.

## Key lines

> To sorrow I bade good morrow, And thought to leave her far away behind; But cheerly, cheerly, She loves me dearly; She is so constant to me, and so kind. I would deceive her, And so leave her, But ah! she is so constant and so kind.

I greeted sorrow in the morning, hoping to leave it behind, but it clings to me lovingly and persistently. I wish to escape it, yet it remains ever faithful.

_The epigraph personifies sorrow as a devoted lover, emphasizing the inescapable nature of grief._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_return_of_the_native_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_return_of_the_native_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_return_of_the_native_se/chapters