Go Lovely Rose - Poem Analysis

The speaker wishes the rose to communicate more than just his feelings to the woman in question and wants it to remind her that beauty like hers should be admired and enjoyed, not hidden away, or withheld, because, just like the rose in his hand, it too will wither and fade. Not a love poem- more critical CARPE DIEM = “Seize the day” (BIG THEME) Go, lovely Rose The speaker hopes the flower, and He urges the woman to look at the dead flower and the beauty and love it represents will realize that she, too, has no time to waste and must encourage the woman to accept his seize the day while she is young and beautiful. advances. Commanding- shows his impatience. Go, lovely rose! She’s wasting his time too. Tell her that wastes her time and me That now she knows, Compare Indicates the speaker doesn’t know the woman very well. When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be. Tell her that’s young, Avoids Beauty Perceived That hadst thou sprung In deserts where no men abide, Not complimented Thou must have uncommended died. Life Suffer herself to be desired, Anecdote (story)- A rose, such as the woman is, cannot live without being appreciated for her beauty. This is a strange compliment. “Unseen beauty is a waste.” There is no reason, he thinks, for beauty to exist away from the light. “Revel in your youth and beauty.” Of beauty from the light retired; Bid her come forth, Introduces a subtle sense of unease. Suggests she is not doing something he thinks she should be, and implies that there is not an unlimited amount of time available to her to do whatever this activity is. Suggests that she is shy, coy, or modest and hides herself away. The speaker instructs the rose to explain to the woman that its beauty would have gone unnoticed and unappreciated if it had grown in a desert. And shuns to have her graces spied, Small is the worth Metaphor: Rose being compared to a woman- obviously symbolic as roses have been prized for their beauty and fragrance since ancient times. The rose is an object of his affection. Speaker returns to directly addressing the rose. He had become consumed in his own beliefs about beauty and is now returning to his mission. And not blush so to be admired. She must put herself out of her comfort zone and needs to become aware that she is desired. . The rose must die- this is abrupt, unsettling, and startling. Then die—that she Death Juxtaposition The common fate of all things rare May read in thee; How small a part of time they share After it has done its job and convinced the woman to come out into the light, it should die. Witnessing how swiftly the beautiful flower has withered and died will shock the woman and help her realize that her own beauty will fade and wither away. He feels as if she doesn’t understand that one day she will die. If he can convey that fact to her, perhaps she will be even more motivated to come to him. That are so wondrous sweet and fair! He concludes his argument with the rather forlorn and ominous suggestion that the more delicately beautiful a thing is, the shorter its lifespan will be. Used instead of full stop → indicates a link in ideas CARPE DIEM It has become a common expression of the importance of making the most of the time you have and of living life to the fullest. Time is limited. STRUCTURE • • • • Lyric poem. Punctuation at the end of each line = slowed down rhythm and makes poem more structured All stanzas are quintets= a certainty Regularity in indented lines and there is neatness in the typography. • The last two lines form a rhyming couplet. The rhythm and rhyme of the poem are pleasurably predictable and lend a highly musical, song-like quality to the verse. • Almost entirely iambic. TONE Commanding/ Admiration (he compares a woman to a rose) A SINGLE ROSE INSTEAD OF A BOUQUET A single rose represents love at first sight, whereas a bouquet represents a couple and their SHARED love- the love is this poem seems one-sided.