Hence loathed melancholy

Song Meaning

This opening immediately conjures a potent, almost gothic atmosphere. The narrator is calling upon a personified Melancholy, born from the darkest mythological depths. It's not just sadness; it's a primal, ancient gloom, envisioned as a creature of nightmare. The imagery of "blackest midnight born" and "Stygian cave" grounds this feeling in a place of absolute darkness and despair, a stark contrast to any semblance of light or comfort.