In  the last stanza of "To a Skylark," the speaker refers to "harmonious madness."  What does that mean?

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The poem contains the phrase "harmonious madness" referring to the beauty of the song of the skylark.  The persona feels that if he had half the gladness within himself that the skylark must have to sing its song, it would produce an ecstacy he calls "harmonious madness."  With this harmonious madness the persona would be able to create such beautiful poetry that the world would listen in awe in the same way that the persona is listening to the skylark. 

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial