“Prothalamion” Summary

“Prothalamion” Themes

• 

  The Comfort of Nature

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  Marriage and the Natural World

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  The Fragility of Perfection

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Prothalamion”

• Lines 1-4

  CALM was the day, and through the trembling air 
  Sweet breathing Zephyrus did softly play, 
  A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay 
  Hot Titan's beams, which then did glister fair; 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-9

  When I whose sullen care, 
  Through discontent of my long fruitless stay 
  In prince's court, and expectation vain 
  Of idle hopes, which still do fly away 
  Like empty shadows, did afflict my brain, 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 10-16

  Walked forth to ease my pain 
  Along the shore of silver streaming Thames, 
  Whose rutty bank, the which his river hems, 
  Was painted all with variable flowers, 
  And all the meads adorned with dainty gems, 
  Fit to deck maidens' bowers, 
  And crown their paramours, 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-18

  Against the bridal day, which is not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 19-23

  There, in a meadow, by the river's side, 
  A flock of nymphs I chanced to espy, 
  All lovely daughters of the flood thereby, 
  With goodly greenish locks, all loose untied, 
  As each had been a bride;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 24-33

  And each one had a little wicker basket, 
  Made of fine twigs, entrailed curiously, 
  In which they gathered flowers to fill their flasket, 
  And with fine fingers cropt full featously 
  The tender stalks on high. 
  Of every sort, which in that meadow grew, 
  They gathered some; the violet pallid blue, 
  The little daisy, that at evening closes, 
  The virgin lily, and the primrose true, 
  With store of vermeil roses, 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 34-36

  To deck their bridegrooms' posies 
  Against the bridal day, which was not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 37-41

  With that, I saw two swans of goodly hue 
  Come softly swimming down along the Lee; 
  Two fairer birds I yet did never see. 
  The snow which doth the top of Pindus strew, 
  Did never whiter shew, 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 42-46

  Nor Jove himself, when he a swan would be 
  For love of Leda, whiter did appear:
  Yet Leda was they say as white as he, 
  Yet not so white as these, nor nothing near. 
  So purely white they were, 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 47-54

  That even the gentle stream, the which them bare, 
  Seemed foul to them, and bade his billows spare 
  To wet their silken feathers, lest they might 
  Soil their fair plumes with water not so fair, 
  And mar their beauties bright, 
  That shone as heaven's light, 
  Against their bridal day, which was not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 55-63

  Eftsoons the nymphs, which now had flowers their fill, 
  Ran all in haste, to see that silver brood, 
  As they came floating on the crystal flood. 
  Whom when they saw, they stood amazed still, 
  Their wondering eyes to fill. 
  Them seemed they never saw a sight so fair, 
  Of fowls so lovely, that they sure did deem 
  Them heavenly born, or to be that same pair 
  Which through the sky draw Venus' silver team; 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 64-72

  For sure they did not seem 
  To be begot of any earthly seed, 
  But rather angels, or of angels' breed: 
  Yet were they bred of Somers-heat they say, 
  In sweetest season, when each flower and weed 
  The earth did fresh array, 
  So fresh they seemed as day, 
  Even as their bridal day, which was not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 73-82

  Then forth they all out of their baskets drew 
  Great store of flowers, the honour of the field, 
  That to the sense did fragrant odours yield, 
  All which upon those goodly birds they threw, 
  And all the waves did strew, 
  That like old Peneus' waters they did seem, 
  When down along by pleasant Tempe's shore, 
  Scattered with flowers, through Thessaly they stream, 
  That they appear through lilies' plenteous store, 
  Like a bride's chamber floor. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 83-90

  Two of those nymphs meanwhile, two garlands bound, 
  Of freshest flowers which in that mead they found, 
  The which presenting all in trim array, 
  Their snowy foreheads therewithal they crowned, 
  Whilst one did sing this lay, 
  Prepared against that day, 
  Against their bridal day, which was not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 91-100

  'Ye gentle birds, the world's fair ornament, 
  And heaven's glory, whom this happy hour 
  Doth lead unto your lovers' blissful bower, 
  Joy may you have and gentle heart's content 
  Of your love's complement: 
  And let fair Venus, that is queen of love, 
  With her heart-quelling son upon you smile, 
  Whose smile, they say, hath virtue to remove 
  All love's dislike, and friendship's faulty guile 
  For ever to assoil. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 101-108

  Let endless peace your steadfast hearts accord, 
  And blessed plenty wait upon your board, 
  And let your bed with pleasures chaste abound, 
  That fruitful issue may to you afford, 
  Which may your foes confound, 
  And make your joys redound 
  Upon your bridal day, which is not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.' 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 109-126

  So ended she; and all the rest around 
  To her redoubled that her undersong, 
  Which said their bridal day should not be long. 
  And gentle echo from the neighbour ground 
  Their accents did resound. 
  So forth those joyous birds did pass along, 
  Adown the Lee, that to them murmured low, 
  As he would speak, but that he lacked a tongue, 
  Yet did by signs his glad affection show, 
  Making his stream run slow. 
  And all the fowl which in his flood did dwell 
  Gan flock about these twain, that did excel 
  The rest so far as Cynthia doth shend 
  The lesser stars. So they, enranged well, 
  Did on those two attend, 
  And their best service lend, 
  Against their wedding day, which was not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 127-131

  At length they all to merry London came, 
  To merry London, my most kindly nurse, 
  That to me gave this life's first native source; 
  Though from another place I take my name, 
  An house of ancient fame.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 132-144

  There when they came, whereas those bricky towers, 
  The which on Thames' broad aged back do ride, 
  Where now the studious lawyers have their bowers 
  There whilom wont the Templar Knights to bide, 
  Till they decayed through pride: 
  Next whereunto there stands a stately place, 
  Where oft I gained gifts and goodly grace 
  Of that great lord, which therein wont to dwell, 
  Whose want too well now feels my friendless case. 
  But ah, here fits not well 
  Old woes but joys to tell 
  Against the bridal day, which is not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 145-154

  Yet therein now doth lodge a noble peer, 
  Great England's glory, and the world's wide wonder, 
  Whose dreadful name late through all Spain did thunder, 
  And Hercules' two pillars standing near 
  Did make to quake and fear: 
  Fair branch of honour, flower of chivalry, 
  That fillest England with thy triumph's fame, 
  Joy have thou of thy noble victory, 
  And endless happiness of thine own name 
  That promiseth the same: 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 155-162

  That through thy prowess and victorious arms, 
  Thy country may be freed from foreign harms; 
  And great Elisa's glorious name may ring 
  Through all the world, filled with thy wide alarms, 
  Which some brave Muse may sing 
  To ages following, 
  Upon the bridal day, which is not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 163-167

  From those high towers this noble lord issuing, 
  Like radiant Hesper when his golden hair 
  In th'Ocean billows he hath bathed fair, 
  Descended to the river's open viewing, 
  With a great train ensuing. 

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 168-180

  Above the rest were goodly to be seen 
  Two gentle knights of lovely face and feature 
  Beseeming well the bower of any queen, 
  With gifts of wit and ornaments of nature, 
  Fit for so goodly stature; 
  That like the twins of Jove they seemed in sight, 
  Which deck the baldric of the heavens bright. 
  They two forth pacing to the river's side, 
  Received those two fair birds, their love's delight; 
  Which, at th' appointed tide, 
  Each one did make his bride 
  Against their bridal day, which is not long: 
        Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.

  

  

  

  

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“Prothalamion” Symbols

• 

  Zephyrus

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  Flowers

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• 

  Swans

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• 

  Cynthia

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“Prothalamion” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Personification

  

  

  

  

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• Analogy

  

  

  

  

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• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Apostrophe

  

  

  

  

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• Anaphora

  

  

  

  

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• Simile

  

  

  

  

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• Diacope

  

  

  

  

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“Prothalamion” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Zephyrus
• Titan
• Glister
• Sullen
• Rutty
• Variable
• Bower
• Long
• Nymphs
• Espy
• Flood
• Locks
• Entrailed
• Curiously
• Flasket
• Featously
• Pallid
• Vermeil
• Lee
• Pindus
• Strew
• Shew
• Jove
• Leda
• Eftsoons
• Venus
• Team
• Begot
• Somers-heat
• Peneus
• Thessaly
• Tempe
• Mead
• Complement
• Heart-quelling son
• Guile
• Assoil
• Chastity
• Issue
• Undersong
• Adown
• Twain
• Cynthia
• Shend
• Enranged
• Bricky
• Whilom
• Wont
• Templar Knights
• Whereunto
• Hercules
• Prowess
• Arms
• Elisa
• Alarms
• Issuing
• Hesper
• Beseeming
• Baldric
• Tide

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Prothalamion”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Prothalamion” Speaker

“Prothalamion” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Prothalamion”

More “Prothalamion” Resources

• External Resources

  • History of the Epithalamium — A detailed history of the genre from which "Prothalamion" emerges, the "epithalamium."

  • Leda and the Swan — A poem by the Irish poet W. B. Yeats, which also tells the story of Leda and the Swan—though Yeats's take on it is much less positive than Spenser's.

  • Reading of "Prothalamion" — A group reading of "Prothalamion."

  • "The Waste Land" — The full text of T.S. Eliot's famous long poem, "The Waste Land," which prominently cites the refrain of Spenser's "Prothalamion." (Jump to section III, "The Fire Sermon" to find the citation).

  • "Epithalamion" — The full text of the sister poem to "Prothalamion," Spenser's "Epithalamion," written for his own wedding, the year before in 1595.    

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Edmund Spenser

  • Amoretti XXX: My Love is like to ice, and I to fire

  • Sonnet 75: One day I wrote her name upon the strand