Written by Walter Raleigh in 1600, "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" is a parody of Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." In Marlowe's poem, a shepherd propositions a young woman to be his "Love," offering her a happy, carefree life in the idyllic countryside. To sweeten the deal, he also promises her luxurious gifts (such as gowns of the finest wool, gold-clasped slippers, and so on). In Raleigh's poem, the young woman (now described as a nymph) gives her a reply: an emphatic, resounding no! In her view, the shepherd's vision is totally unrealistic, conveniently glossing over how nothing—not youth, love, nor "pretty" gifts—can escape the destructive forces of time.
|
Get
LitCharts
|
|
The Full Text of “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”
1If all the world and love were young,
2And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
3These pretty pleasures might me move,
4To live with thee, and be thy love.
5Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
6When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
7And Philomel becometh dumb,
8The rest complains of cares to come.
9The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
10To wayward winter reckoning yields,
11A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
12Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
13Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
14Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
15Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
16In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
17Thy belt of straw and Ivy buds,
18The Coral clasps and amber studs,
19All these in me no means can move
20To come to thee and be thy love.
21But could youth last, and love still breed,
22Had joys no date, nor age no need,
23Then these delights my mind might move
24To live with thee, and be thy love.
The Full Text of “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”
1If all the world and love were young,
2And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
3These pretty pleasures might me move,
4To live with thee, and be thy love.
5Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
6When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
7And Philomel becometh dumb,
8The rest complains of cares to come.
9The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
10To wayward winter reckoning yields,
11A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
12Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
13Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
14Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
15Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
16In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
17Thy belt of straw and Ivy buds,
18The Coral clasps and amber studs,
19All these in me no means can move
20To come to thee and be thy love.
21But could youth last, and love still breed,
22Had joys no date, nor age no need,
23Then these delights my mind might move
24To live with thee, and be thy love.
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Summary
-
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Themes
-
Time and Decay
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”
-
Lines 1-4
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. -
Lines 5-8
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. -
Lines 9-10
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
To wayward winter reckoning yields, -
Lines 11-12
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall. -
Lines 13-16
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. -
Lines 17-20
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. -
Lines 21-24
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.
-
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Symbols
-
Flowers
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Alliteration
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Allusion
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Assonance
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Caesura
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Consonance
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Juxtaposition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Metaphor
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Metonymy
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Personification
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Repetition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” 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.
- Move
- Thee
- Thy
- Drives
- Flocks
- Fold
- Philomel
- Becometh
- Dumb
- Cares
- Wanton
- Wayward
- Reckoning
- Yields
- Gall
- Fancy
- Cap
- Kirtle
- Posies
- Folly
- Reason
- Clasps
- Studs
- Means
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Speaker
-
-
“The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”
-
-
More “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd” Resources
-
External Resources
-
Marlowe's Poem — The work that inspired the nymph's reply.
-
Raleigh's Life Story — Learn more about the colorful life of Sir Walter Raleigh.
-
The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading provided by Librivox.
-
The School of Night — A short article about the writers group to which both Raleigh and Marlowe belonged.
-
-
Ask LitCharts AI:
The answer to your questions
Powered by LitCharts content and AI.
