Go, Lovely Rose Intro and Poetry Analysis

Presentation of the introduction and analysis of Go, Lovely Rose by Edmund Waller

1. Go, Lovely Rose Edmund Waller

2. Go, Lovely Rose Go, lovely rose! Tell her that wastes her time and me, That now she knows, When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be.   Tell her that’s young, And shuns to have her graces spied, That hadst thou sprung In deserts, where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died. Small is the worth Of beauty from the light retired; Bid her come forth, Suffer herself to be desired, And not blush so to be admired.   Then die! that she The common fate of all things rare May read in thee; How small a part of time they share That are so wondrous sweet and fair!

3. Edmund Waller 1606-1687 English poet and politician Took part in the English Civil War and was arrested for his part in the plot against parliament in 1643 Even though he was released, he was still banished in 1651; but returned to England before his death While not a famous or prolific poet, his work is considered to have shaped the thoughts and ideas of the English poets that came after him

4. Summary Before sending a rose to a young lady, the speaker of the poem addresses the flower as if it were a person. He instructs it to tell the lady that seeing a rose before her will make it clear why the sender compares her to the flower, for she is just as sweet and fair as it is. The rose is also instructed to tell her that she should not hide herself from public view, like a rose in a desert, for no one will see and appreciate her beauty. Instead, she should come forth and allow herself to be desired. She need not blush when the speaker admires her.  Finally, the rose is to serve as a reminder of the young lady's mortality when it withers and dies not long after she receives it. She will then know that her own life is also short and that she ought to take advantage of the pleasures of life before time steals her youth and sends her to her grave.

5. Themes Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) The speaker says the young lady wastes her time and his (line 2) by remaining aloof. Before she realizes it, she will wither and die, like the rose that he is sending her. Therefore, the speaker says, she should come out of hiding and reveal her beauty, like a blooming rose, in order to take advantage of what life has to offer before youth passes her by.  Romance The speaker obviously wants to court the young lady, who keeps to herself apparently because she is shy or is indisposed for another reason. Persuasion he poem is an exercise in persuasion, presenting sentiments intended to cajole the young lady to emerge from hiding.

6. Structure Lyrical poem 4 stanzas 5 lines each (quintain) Rhyme ababb Meter iambic (unstressed – stressed) go LOVE | ly ROSE tell HER | that WASTES | her TIME | and ME

7. Extended Metaphor A metaphor that is repeated throughout the poem In the poem the poet is not just talking to a rose as his messenger, but is also comparing the lady to a rose Her beauty is like that of the rose, but also as fleeting The metaphor helps to enforce the theme of carpe diem

8. Stanza One Go, lovely rose! Personification – commands the rose to speak for him. Tell her that wastes her time and me, she is wasting her time and his (in life) That now she knows, When I resemble her to thee, he compares her to the rose; she is as beautiful as the rose How sweet and fair she seems to be. he think her beautiful ‘seems to be’ – there is the suggestion that maybe he does not know her that well…

9. Stanza Two Tell her that’s young, remind her she is yet young (whole life ahead of her) And shuns to have her graces spied, ‘grace’ – her beauty she is shy That hadst thou sprung speaking to the rose ‘sprung’ grown In deserts, where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died. he says that if the rose had grown in the desert, no one would have been able to see its beauty before it died; like his lady, if she hides herself then no one will know of her beauty – it will be a waste, like a rose in the desert.

10. Stanza Three Small is the worth Of beauty from the light retired; beauty that cannot be admired is wasted; a life not lived is wasted Bid her come forth, ask her to come outside Suffer herself to be desired, And not blush so to be admired. he asks the rose to tell the lady to come out so the world (or him at least) can bask in her beauty; not to be shy about it; to enjoy the life she has. Literal – enjoy your beauty, let people see it Figurative – enjoy your youth/life

11. Stanza Four Then die! that she tells the rose to die The common fate of all things rare May read in thee; ‘common fate’ – it happens to everything; even the ‘rare’ and beautiful he wants the rose to die so she can understand that all beautiful things die and to enjoy the time she has How small a part of time they share ‘small’ – reminder of little time people have ‘they’ – the flower and the lady That are so wondrous sweet and fair!

12. Final Thoughts At face value, the poem is about a young man trying to court a shy young lady Looking deeper we can see that it is more than just about infatuation or love, but rather a deeper message to not waste the time we have He berates her for being shy and, in so doing, misses out on life The message, then, is that we must not be afraid, but rather live life to the fullest lest we end up like the rose in the desert – withered and dead with no one to remember us