January 22nd, Missolonghi (On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year) is the last poem ever written by the famous poet, Lord Byron, and was published in 1824.
The poem reflects on Byron’s emotions and aspirations as he turns thirty-six years old. He describes his progression as a person, from childhood to adulthood, such as the changes in his maturation when it comes to love and acts of self-indulgence. At times melancholy in tone, the poem offers an insight into the change of priorities and expectations as one grows older.
Byron wrote the poem on his birthday, perhaps as a message and reminder to himself about how much he has achieved over the years. Indeed, the poem describes his desire to self-sacrifice now that he has experienced enough of life’s joys, and this is reflective of his joining the Greek War of Independence (1824) shortly after the poem was written.
