Virtue By George Herbert

 

Virtue

By George Herbert

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,

The bridal of the earth and sky;

The dew shall weep thy fall to-night,

For thou must die.

Sweet rose, whose hue (kind) angry and brave

Bid (offer) the rash (sudden – careless) gazer wipe his eye;

Thy root is ever in its grave,

And thou must die.

 

Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses,

A box where sweets compacted lie;

My music shows ye have your closes,

And all must die.

 

Only a sweet and virtuous soul,

Like season'd timber (wood), never gives;

But though the whole world turn to coal,

Then chiefly lives.

 

George Herbert: 1593 – 1633

 

George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was a Welsh-born poet, orator and Anglican priest. Herbert's poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognized as "one of the foremost British devotional lyricists.” He was born into an artistic and wealthy family. He wanted to become a priest but he became the university’s Public Orator. He also served in the Parliament of England in 1624 and 1625.

 

Introduction of poem:

 

"Virtue" is one of the poems in a collection of verse called The Temple (1633), which George Herbert wrote during the last three years of his life. The poet appreciates the beauty of creation not only for his own sake but also because he sees it as a mirror of the goodness of the creator. He presents a vision of an eternal world. Poem represents the temporariness of the physical world. Poet has used many examples to express the death and life before death.

 

Analysis

 

George Herbert in this poem tried to project the basic difference between mortal and immortal through concrete example in every stanza, as it is said,

"Men without virtue are like lifeless flower"

   

   This is what makes the poet write on such a topics. Poet has expressed that death is inevitable but before death what we do is much more important and how we live our life that should be in concern. Poet has given many examples in his poem with the reference of the natural elements and how they are living their life in giving rather than having any personal benefits.

                                      

In the first stanza, poet talks about a beautiful day wherein everything between earth and sky seems to be picture perfect, but it has to come an end. The beauty of the day is precious and eye catchy but the day has to end. It does not matter how peaceful the day is but it has to end. The day gives beauty and life to all the creature living on earth, it never expects anything from anyone or any creature. Day is peaceful and gives delight but though it is destined to end.

 

The dew shall weep thy fall to-night,

For thou must die.

 

No matter what the circumstances are, as anything that is natural has to come to an end one day. There is end of everything whether it is beautiful or not, and poet has presented the beauty of the day and then talked about the night and dew. The dew drops are presented here as tears, because the beautiful day is going to end at night.

 

In the second stanza, the comparison is with rose, which is very beautiful when in full bloom, but its end is permanent. This example remains that the beauty is always to remember, but it is not concrete. Rose can live for one or two days only, rose is the symbol of beauty and love but that one also dies because of its mortality.

 

Thy root is ever in its grave,

And thou must die.

 

We can feel it; we can love it, but that all is in our sense. Rose is the perfect example for that, and at the end, the death of the rose only remains permanent. It seems rose is asking its onlooker to wipe tears from its eyes, it is crying because it will fade away and die.

 

In the third stanza, there is a description of spring season, which seems to be having a never ending affair with nature, but in winter everything apart and only the memory of spring season would be sketch on your mind forever. Spring which can be considered as the life giving source to all the plants, lakes, and creatures, it also provides food, but though it has to end one day. The one which gives life has having a death too.

 

Above three stanzas have a common ending with the concept of death but one should not forget that death is a death of "body" and not "feelings", and this point is given importance in the last stanza. The poet here talks about the immortality of virtuous soul, and in life what matters is what you feel and not what you see. Poet has given example of seasoned timber and said that it cannot be burnt and changed into coal and therefore it can never surrender to destruction. By ‘chiefly lives’ poet suggests that the soul will remain alive when the world will end.

 

Life is always about living, body is mortal but memory and goodness is not. If the day, rose and spring season will end, one would always keep the memory of that beautiful sight and feelings. The same way one can die, but he or she is a virtuous soul then it will be in memory forever.

 

Figures of speech:

 

In the poem there is a use of Simile by the word 'as' and 'like'.

 

‘Like season'd timber (wood), never gives;’

 

‘Nightfall’ is represented here as a metaphor of death.

 

There is also personification by using,

 

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,

The bridal of the earth and sky;

Rhyming scheme:

 

The poet has also used alliteration, imagery, and metaphors. The poet has used regular rhyming scheme. The first line rhymes with third and second line rhymes with fourth. The rhyming scheme is a, b, a, b.

 

Conclusion:

 

The whole poem talks about death but at the end poet gives a way by which immorality can be achieved, and one can be eternal. Herbert has given a way in which he believes and has used natural relevant elements by which readers can get a proper way to live their life. He also represented the value of virtue.

Sources: Wikipedia, poetry foundation and Google images