I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me.
[Robert Browning Hamilton]
About the author
Robert Browning Hamilton was an American writer who lived from 1867 to 1950. Born in Unionville, Ohio, not much is definitively known about Hamilton’s early life and upbringing. However, it’s believed he developed a keen interest in literature from a young age which shaped his future career path.
Throughout his life, Hamilton collaborated with many fellow writers and artists across the United States, likely attending literary gatherings in major cities to exchange ideas with contemporaries. Though a private person, his works reflect deep insights into the human experience, perhaps drawn from his own personal journeys with love, friendship, and loss.
The meaning of the poem
Along the road speaks to the fleeting and often shallow nature of pleasure compared to the profound lessons that can come from sorrow. The author describes walking and talking with Pleasure, yet despite her chatter, he gained no lasting wisdom from the experience. It felt good in the moment but left him empty.
In contrast, the silent walk with Sorrow proved transformative. Her unspoken truths etched themselves into the author’s soul. This poem beautifully acknowledges an age-old truth: Pain is often our greatest teacher. The moments that break us open are the ones that can ultimately make us wiser and stronger, if we let them.
Hamilton invites us to look beyond life’s shiny distractions and quick hits of pleasure. He encourages us to be present to grief, to fully feel it rather than numb it or run from it. In doing so, we access depths of understanding and growth that are life-changing.
Hamilton gently reminds us not to chase pleasure at the expense of the richness of being with the full spectrum of human experience, both the light and the dark, the joy and the sorrow. Only by embracing it all do we become whole.
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