1. English 12 - British Literature
Renaissance Poetry #1
English 12 - British Literature

2. “Passionate Shepherd to His Love” “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd”
“To His Coy Mistress”
Carpe Diem Poetry

3. Carpe diem poetry
The first three poems you will read – “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” and “To His Coy Mistress” are all examples of Carpe diem poetry. (Definition on page 299).
Carpe diem means “seize the day.” It’s kind of like the original YOLO. It encourages the reader to take advantage of the time that they have and live, love, and enjoy life.
The first two poems are also pastoral poems which relate to the outdoors, countryside, and shepherds. However, it’s not like a poem about the outdoors where it’s too hot or too cold or bugs are biting you. In pastoral poetry everything is perfect and ideal. (Definition on page 293)
Famous movie clip from Dead Poet’s Society where the teacher explains carpe diem poetry
click here for clip

4. “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”
BY CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE
Come live with me and be my love, 
And we will all the pleasures prove, 
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields, 
Woods, or steepy mountain yields. 
And we will sit upon the Rocks, 
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks, 
By shallow Rivers to whose falls 
Melodious birds sing Madrigals. 
And I will make thee beds of Roses 
And a thousand fragrant posies, 
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle 
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle; 
A gown made of the finest wool 
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull; 
Fair lined slippers for the cold, 
With buckles of the purest gold; 
Read Author background on page 294
Read this poem on page 295
Click below for
Marlowe Biography Video
A belt of straw and Ivy buds, 
With Coral clasps and Amber studs: 
And if these pleasures may thee move, 
Come live with me, and be my love. 
The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing 
For thy delight each May-morning: 
If these delights thy mind may move, 
Then live with me, and be my love.

5. Come live with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove,
“The Passionate Shepherd” Explanation #1
Stanza 1:
The shepherd is speaking to his love telling her to come live with him. He tells her that they will enjoy all the pleasures of the outdoors like hills, fields, mountains, etc.
Stanza 2:
If they are sitting on the rocks, they are idle = not working. They will just watch the river flow by and listen to the birds sing.
Stanza 3:
Now he starts promising her THINGS, but notice that all these things are things made from NATURE. What all does he promise her?
Come live with me and be my love, 
And we will all the pleasures prove, 
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields, 
Woods, or steepy mountain yields. 
And we will sit upon the Rocks, 
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks, 
By shallow Rivers to whose falls 
Melodious birds sing Madrigals. 
And I will make thee beds of Roses 
And a thousand fragrant posies, 
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle 
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle; 

6. He promises her more things made from nature . . . such as . . .
“The Passionate Shepherd” Explanation #2
Stanza #4
He promises her more things made from nature such as . . .
Stanza #5
Still more things that he promises . . .
And if this “moves” or persuades her then she should come be with him and be his love.
Stanza #6
Finally, he says that the young shepherd boys will dance and sing to entertain them, and gives her a final reminder that if this “moves” or persuades her, then seize the day and come be with him.
A gown made of the finest wool 
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull; 
Fair lined slippers for the cold, 
With buckles of the purest gold; 
A belt of straw and Ivy buds, 
With Coral clasps and Amber studs: 
And if these pleasures may thee move, 
Come live with me, and be my love. 
The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing 
For thy delight each May-morning: 
If these delights thy mind may move, 
Then live with me, and be my love.

7. The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd
BY SIR WALTER RALEGH
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. 
Read the author’s background on page 296
Then read the poem on page 297
FYI: They guy who wrote this, wrote as if a girl was responding to the shepherd in the previous poem.
Click here for author background video:
Sir Walter Raleigh video
Thy belt of straw and Ivy buds, 
The 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.

8. All of the things you promised me will DIE!
“Nymph’s Reply” Explanation #1
Stanza #1
. . . If everything in the world stayed young, an if you told the truth Then I MIGHT come be with you.
Stanza #2
Eventually the flocks of sheep will go in, the water and rocks will be cold, and the birds will not sing
Stanza #3
All of the things you promised me will DIE!
If I believe your “sweet talk” it will lead to my downfall and sorrow.
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. 

9. Again, all these things you promised will wither and die.
“Nymph’s Reply” Explanation #2
Stanza #4
Again, all these things you promised will wither and die.
Stanza #5
The things that you promise are temporary and can’t persuade me to come be your love.
Stanza #6
IF all this was true and would last and everything and everyone would stay young forever, then I MIGHT be persuaded to come be your love.
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, 
The 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.

10. “Passionate Shepherd” and “Nymph’s Reply” Questions
True/False
 _____ 1. The speaker in “The Passionate Shepherd” praises the countryside.
_____ 2. Marlowe’s shepherd promises his love a warm, comfortable bed.
_____ 3. The beloved in Marlowe’s poem will be generously provided for but have no place to live.
_____ 4. The woman addressed in Marlowe’s poem accepts the shepherd’s offer.
_____ 5. The shepherd warns that love is not without sadness.
_____ 6. In “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” Raleigh suggests that shepherds don’t always tell the truth.
_____ 7. Raleigh’s nymph points out that love, like people, grows old.
_____ 8. In the “Nymph’s Reply,” love is a springtime fancy.
_____ 9. Raleigh fails to mention that the shepherd tried to woo his love with gifts.
_____ 10. Raleigh’s nymph and Marlowe’s shepherd see nature in quite different terms.
 _____ 11. The two poems are similar in —
a. fundamental views of life b. emotions expressed c. no way d. form, length, and rhythm
  _____ 12. The word pastoral, describing a kind of poem about country life, comes from the Latin word meaning —
a. country, or rural b. shepherd c. priest or minister d. farmer
 _____ 13 Which of the following phrases best summarizes the idea of carpe diem?
a. Live life to the fullest. b. Hope for the unattainable. c. Love from afar. d. Take what you want.

11. But at my back I always hear “To His Coy Mistress” p. 303
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near; 
And yonder all before us lie 
Deserts of vast eternity. 
Thy beauty shall no more be found; 
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound 
My echoing song; then worms shall try 
That long-preserved virginity, 
And your quaint honour turn to dust, 
And into ashes all my lust; 
The grave’s a fine and private place, 
But none, I think, do there embrace. 
       Now therefore, while the youthful hue 
Sits on thy skin like morning dew, 
And while thy willing soul transpires 
At every pore with instant fires, 
Now let us sport us while we may, 
And now, like amorous birds of prey, 
Rather at once our time devour 
Than languish in his slow-chapped power. 
Let us roll all our strength and all 
Our sweetness up into one ball, 
And tear our pleasures with rough strife 
Through the iron gates of life: 
Thus, though we cannot make our sun 
Stand still, yet we will make him run.
“To His Coy Mistress” p. 303
BY ANDREW MARVELL
Had we but world enough and time, 
This coyness, lady, were no crime. 
We would sit down, and think which way 
To walk, and pass our long love’s day. 
Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side 
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide 
Of Humber would complain. I would 
Love you ten years before the flood, 
And you should, if you please, refuse 
Till the conversion of the Jews. 
My vegetable love should grow 
Vaster than empires and more slow; 
An hundred years should go to praise 
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; 
Two hundred to adore each breast, 
But thirty thousand to the rest; 
An age at least to every part, 
And the last age should show your heart. 
For, lady, you deserve this state, 
Nor would I love at lower rate. 

12. Vegetable love = grows large and grows slowly
“To His Coy Mistress” Explanation #1
Stanza #1
This stanza is the “IF” stanza. IF we had all the time in the world, this is how much I would love you! I would take so much time to just let our love grow and develop, IF we had time . . .
< beginning of time
< end of time
Vegetable love = grows large and grows slowly
Then he talks about how he would spend YEARS praising each part of her body, IF there was all the time in the world
Had we but world enough and time, 
This coyness, lady, were no crime. 
We would sit down, and think which way 
To walk, and pass our long love’s day. 
Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side 
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide 
Of Humber would complain. I would 
Love you ten years before the flood, 
And you should, if you please, refuse 
Till the conversion of the Jews. 
My vegetable love should grow 
Vaster than empires and more slow; 
An hundred years should go to praise 
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; 
Two hundred to adore each breast, 
But thirty thousand to the rest; 
An age at least to every part, 
And the last age should show your heart. 
For, lady, you deserve this state, 
Nor would I love at lower rate.

13. “To His Coy Mistress” Explanation #2
Stanza #2
This is the “BUT” stanza. . . He said before IF he had all the time in the world he would let his love grow slowly over time, BUT he does not have all the time in the world. Time is always after us and if we waste our time then we are dead!
< death
<grave
We would have privacy in the grave, but I don’t think they hug and kiss there 
       But at my back I always hear 
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near; 
And yonder all before us lie 
Deserts of vast eternity. 
Thy beauty shall no more be found; 
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound 
My echoing song; then worms shall try 
That long-preserved virginity, 
And your quaint honour turn to dust, 
And into ashes all my lust; 
The grave’s a fine and private place, 
But none, I think, do there embrace. 

14. We can’t make the sun stop, but we can run with it!
“To His Coy Mistress” Explanation #3
Stanza #3
Ok, so IF the speaker had all the time in the world he would love slowly and wait for her, BUT he doesn’t because time is after him That leads us to the “SO” stanza . . .
SO, since time is after us we should “carpe diem” and seize the day and take advantage of our time while we can!
We can’t make the sun stop, but we can run with it!
Now therefore, while the youthful hue 
Sits on thy skin like morning dew, 
And while thy willing soul transpires 
At every pore with instant fires, 
Now let us sport us while we may, 
And now, like amorous birds of prey, 
Rather at once our time devour 
Than languish in his slow-chapped power. 
Let us roll all our strength and all 
Our sweetness up into one ball, 
And tear our pleasures with rough strife 
Through the iron gates of life: 
Thus, though we cannot make our sun 
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

15. “To His Coy Mistress” Questions
____ 1. In “To His Coy Mistress” the speaker says that he would wait patiently for the woman he addresses if —
there were no limit to our time on earth b. she were not so reluctant c. she would assure him of her eventual consent
 ____ 2. Which of the following images from “To His Coy Mistress” best emphasizes the speaker’s sense of urgency?
a. “To walk, and pass our long love’s day . . .” b. “My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires and more slow; . . .”
“But at my back I always hear / Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near; . . .”
 ____ 3. Which of the following statements best summarizes the speaker’s point?
a. “Love can last an eternity.” b. “Our age difference does not matter.”
c. “I will wait for you forever.” d. “We are not getting any younger.”
____ 4. If the speaker had all the time in the world, what would be the last thing about his mistress he would know?
a. her hair b. her forehead c. her eyes d. her heart
____ In the first 20 lines of the poem, the speaker tells his mistress how he would love her if
a. she would only let him b. he could be sure she would be faithful c. there were time enough
____ In lines 21-32, the speaker makes the point that
a. time passes no matter what one does b. he will leave her soon c. he respects her coyness
____ What is the major obstacle to the leisurely courtship that the poet’s mistress seems to prefer?
a. the Ganges River b. life’s iron gates c. death d. birds of prey
____ 8. In saying “we cannot make our sun/Stand still,” the speaker means that he and his mistress cannot
a. stop time b. change England’s climate c. find a way to be together
DISCUSS:
Do you agree that Marvell’s poem is the most convincing? Why or why not? If you think another one is, why is it most convincing to “seize the day”?