I am the Only Being Whose Doom: Commentary

I am the only being whose doom

No tongue would ask, no eye would mourn;

I never caused a thought of gloom,

A smile of joy, since I was born.

In secret pleasure, secret tears,

This changeful life has slipped away,

As friendless after eighteen years,

As lone as on my natal day.

There have been times I cannot hide,

There have been times when this was drear,

When my sad soul forgot its pride

And longed for one to love me here.

But those were in the early glow

Of feelings since subdued by care;

And they have died so long ago,

I hardly now believe they were.

First melted off the hope of youth,

Then fancy’s rainbow fast withdrew;

And then experience told me truth

In mortal bosoms never grew.

’Twas grief enough to think mankind

All hollow, servile, insincere;

But worse to trust to my own mind

And find the same corruption there

The first line of the poem automatically sets the mood of the entire poem. Although this is the case in many poems, the lone, which also happens to be the title of the poems, very strongly suggests that the person is isolated and has a rather skeptical frame of mind. We know this because it is later written "I never caused a though of gloom", meaning that her feelings no longer seem to be there, a hint of consequences of isolation. 

Later, the author writes: "A smile of joy since I was born". This changes the so far depressing mood. Therefore, this can be interpreted as if the author is trying to fire her mood up. 

The author uses a number of rhymes in the poem. This seems to slow down the rhythm. There is a particular emphasis on the first person, with pronouns such as "My" and "I" being constantly repeated.  In conclusion, the author uses strong language to explain her feelings. With that said, it is undeniable that the general mood of the poem is rather distressing.