Analysis of George Gordon Byron’s “On This Day I Complete My Thirty-sixth Year”

Abstract

George Gordon Byron’s poem “On This Day I Complete My Thirty-sixth Year”, written shortly before his death during the Greek War of Independence, comprises ten quatrains with an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme. It reflects his disillusionment, loneliness, and mortality awareness, marking a shift from romantic despair to a focus on heroic purpose and freedom. The narrative evolves in three stages: lamentation, resolution, and awakening. Compared to China’s Song Dynasty “Heroic and Unrestrained Ci” represented by Xin Qiji, Byron’s heroism centers on personal struggle and individual immortality, while Xin’s emphasizes unfulfilled patriotic duty and collective good, reflecting cultural differences in heroic ideals.