Welcome to this month’s poetry classroom, with author and literature professor Karen Swallow Prior. Karen specializes in classics and will be treating us to a discussion of classic love poetry. We invite you to respond to the poems—their forms, images, sounds, meanings, surprises—ask questions of Karen and each other, and write your own poems along the way.
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Raleigh’s poem is a response to Christopher Marlowe’s exhortation to “seize the day” (a phrase which can be understood both literally and, ahem, euphemistically) in his pastoral poem, The Passionate Shepherd to his Love. Here, Raleigh addresses the lover of the previous poem through the imagined response of the young lady, or nymph.
Imagine the speaker of this poem to be a beautiful young woman whose external charms would tempt the most charming lover—but whose wit far outdoes him (and add to that wit a bit of sass, too). Point by point, using the same structure, imagery, and rhymes, the nymph archly puts the shepherd’s promises to the test. And all that he offers her—the flowers, the buds, the posies, the birds, the fields, the shepherd’s tongue—fail.
Notice, too, that as the nymph delivers her answer, her playful tone of knowing superiority (arising from a cynical, or perhaps realistic, view of the lover’s motives and intent) slowly evolves into a lament over the inevitability of the passage of time—and with it youth, and love, and life.
The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complains of cares to come.
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten, -
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
Thy coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.
But could youth last and love still breed,
Had joys no date nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy love.
—Sir Walter Raleigh (1600)
Photo by Karo, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Karen Swallow Prior, author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me.
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I find it amusing that Raleigh wrote back to Marlowe. Tell me more about this? Were they rivals in the poetry world?
Dueling poems are fairly common in the world of traditional poetry. (Some of the poetry wars of the 18th century get really intense!). Though both Raleigh and Marlowe were among many currying favor from Queen Elizabeth, as far as I know, they were not political enemies. In fact, both fell out of favor and were ultimately accused of atheism (a serious charge in those days). Even some 20th century poets have jumped into the fray and offered their responses, too. I’ll see if I can post my favorite one here.
“Come live with me and be my love
And we will all the pleasures prove
Of a marriage conducted with economy
In the Twentieth Century Anno Donomy.
We’ll live in a dear little walk-up flat
With practically room to swing a cat
And a potted cactus to give it hauteur
And a bathtub equipped with dark brown water.
We’ll eat, without undue discouragement,
Foods low in cost but high in nouragement
And quaff with pleasure, while chatting wittily,
The peculiar wine of Little Italy.
We’ll remind each other it’s smart to be thrifty
And buy our clothes for something-fifty.
We’ll bus for miles on holidays
For seas at depressing matinees,
And every Sunday we’ll have a lark
And take a walk in Central Park.
And one of these days not too remote
You’ll probably up and cut my throat.”
― Ogden Nash, Hard Lines
Whoa… I didn’t see THAT coming! LOL! Something is niggling at me about how the lack of this cyber technology had something to do with these wars you mention that I am looking forward to reading. It seems that social networking, though it has so many wonderful possibilities, encourages fast quips and quick “submitting”…. and not this process of crafting a work, getting it published, waiting (no instant POD companies) and wondering if those who see it are the ones you most want to notice…. No @ button. No ‘submit now’ button. No ‘share this’ button. Interesting to think about, and wondering about how the internet shifts the whole process around… maybe. Patience… is it injured by the immediacy with which we do things? I don’t know. Wondering. Excitement and enthusiasm can be fueled by the same, so it’s a question about balance I think. But Karen… I digress. Thank you for pointing us toward the poetry wars! This is a battle I will enjoy exploring!
Oh, my, Ogden!
Poetry wars. The mere thought
Oh the dark side of Ogden Nash. And all this time I thought him to be a harmless humorist. Surprise surprise. Poetry as a form of weaponry. .. A new twist.
This is my all-time favorite poetry war. Be patient and take the time to read both. It’s well worth it:
http://www.ic.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/theory/ws539dressrm.htm
Ribald & hilarious! I vote for Lady M as winner of the skirmish…she pricked his weak spot.
Puppy water? Distilled?! Yikes.
I wonder, what was the public response to these poems? Were they published in a newspaper or magazine?
HA! Love it! Kind of gives me a whole new appreciation for modern hygiene conveniences! I agree with Hampgal – victory goes to the Lady!
To the Lady is declared the victory, then!
Poetry Wars sounds like a reality TV show! I love that poets have always responded to their lives, their worlds, their rivals by writing poetry. Somehow, most of us have the impression that poetry and literature are far removed from the every day. Not here. Not really. This was a wonderful reminder today.
Now, if we only knew someone who could get that new reality TV show “Poetry Wars” off the ground . . . hmmmm, Lyla, maybe?
Poetry Wars Reality Television. Let’s do it!
The wonderful discussion here inspired this latest post of mine at The Atlantic. Thank you, all!
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/03/before-we-saw-your-boobs-the-sexism-and-satire-war-from-1732/273820/
Love this, Karen!
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