The speaker insists that losing youth and health is better than abandoning a strange, luminous pursuit. The hollow cheek, gray hair, and worn temple are not feared; they are almost welcomed as proof of devotion. What matters is answering the call of the silver horn and the milk-white hounds of the moon, images that feel like a fairy-tale hunt or a private obsession. The repeated words “follow, follow” and “hallo, hallo” give the poem a trancelike, urgent rhythm. Against that restless chase, the golden pillow stands for comfort, sleep, and indifference. The mood is feverish and romantic, even self-destructive. This is a madman’s song because it chooses longing and motion over rest, and treats the endless pursuit as more alive than safety.
Madman's Song — Summary
Better to see your cheek grown hollow, Better to see your temple worn, Than to forget to follow, follow, After the sound of a silver horn.
Better to bind your brow with willow And follow, follow until you die, Than to sleep with your head on a golden pillow, Nor lift it up when the hunt goes by.
Better to see your cheek grown sallow And your hair grown gray, so soon, so soon, Than to forget to hallo, hallo, After the milk-white hounds of the moon.