Question

Gaily bedight,

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

The poem we are analyzing here is "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe. The eldorado or el dorado is a legendary place filled with riches of all kinds. The speaker in the poem is telling the story of a knight who is searching for that place.

In the first stanza, the speaker's tone is shown through words such as "gaily" - which means "happily" -, "gallant", "sunshine", and "singing". Here, the speaker is describing the knight as brave and excited about his quest. However, the second stanza shifts tones. Words such as "old", and "o'er his heart a shadow" reveal that the knight is now tired, perhaps disappointed after searching for the Eldorado for so long.