Virtue Poem Explanation by George Herbert
Virtue Poem Explanation by George Herbert
1. 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"
Explanation-
These lines form the third stanza of the Poem, 'Virtue by Georgeis Herbert. He was a religious poet. In this stanza he presents the picture of spring season as specimen of natural beauty. In spring season days are calm, cool and bright. Flowers are also in abundance in the season. Both days and flowers are beautiful and they together make the season extremely lovely. But the poet says that his knowledge of the passage of Time shows that spring also has to change. Summer overakes it.beaut And so the spring must come to an end. In this poem the poet has already shown that a beautiful dayad inspite of its sweet aspect will fade out. A beautiful rose though brightgnt and dazzling, will wither away. And finally the spring will come totorm an end. Hence the conclusion-all must die-has its logical justifica- tion.
A box where sweets compacted lie;
My music shows Ye have your closes,
And all must die"
Explanation-
These lines form the third stanza of the Poem, 'Virtue by Georgeis Herbert. He was a religious poet. In this stanza he presents the picture of spring season as specimen of natural beauty. In spring season days are calm, cool and bright. Flowers are also in abundance in the season. Both days and flowers are beautiful and they together make the season extremely lovely. But the poet says that his knowledge of the passage of Time shows that spring also has to change. Summer overakes it.beaut And so the spring must come to an end. In this poem the poet has already shown that a beautiful dayad inspite of its sweet aspect will fade out. A beautiful rose though brightgnt and dazzling, will wither away. And finally the spring will come totorm an end. Hence the conclusion-all must die-has its logical justifica- tion.
2. Only a sweet and virtuous soul
Like season' timber, never gives
But though the whole world turn to coal
Then chiefly lives.
Explanation-
This is the coneluding stanza of the poem "Virtue" by G. Herbert. As he was a religious poet, he emphasises the value of spiritual merits. Virtue is one of them. The poet in the foregoing three stanzas has proved that all things, however beautiful, are sure to die. A day as fine as the bridal of the earth and the sky will turn into evening. A fine rose -with hue, angry and brave-must die. The spring - a box of sweets compacted-will also end. But the poet says that virtue is everlasting. It defies all rules of decay and destruction.look It is lasting like a log of seasoned timber. Though the world may burn and rot and turn to coal, yet a seasoned timber outlives the process of death. Virtue similarly is not perishable though the world may b destroyed by the forces of decay.
Like season' timber, never gives
But though the whole world turn to coal
Then chiefly lives.
Explanation-
This is the coneluding stanza of the poem "Virtue" by G. Herbert. As he was a religious poet, he emphasises the value of spiritual merits. Virtue is one of them. The poet in the foregoing three stanzas has proved that all things, however beautiful, are sure to die. A day as fine as the bridal of the earth and the sky will turn into evening. A fine rose -with hue, angry and brave-must die. The spring - a box of sweets compacted-will also end. But the poet says that virtue is everlasting. It defies all rules of decay and destruction.look It is lasting like a log of seasoned timber. Though the world may burn and rot and turn to coal, yet a seasoned timber outlives the process of death. Virtue similarly is not perishable though the world may b destroyed by the forces of decay.
3. Sweet day, so calm, so bright
The bridal of the earth and sky
The dew shall weep thy fall to night
For thou must die.
Explanation-
In this opening stanza of the poem Vertue, Herbert speaks about the short-lived nature of a delightfully bright and refreshingly cool and calm day. Its brightness suggests that it is in delightful mood, and is clap in beautiful dress in order to celebrate the wedding of the earth and the sky. Marriage is a happy occasion, when people appear in their best dress, and there is a spirit of joviality all around. In bright day light the earth and the sky seem to meet at the horizon. This fact together with the brightness of day suggests to the poet the idea of the bridale of the earth and the sky. At first the poet is attracted by the beauty and charm of such a day. But soon he remembers that the day with all its beauty, brightness and splendour would come, to an end as soon as darkness would set in. The day will be followed by night, light would be replaced by darkness and tears would be shed in the form of dew-drops to mourn the passing away of day. This realisation makes the poet sad. The poet's sense of beauty is over shadowed by his knowledge of the transitoriness of all beautiful things. These lines are remarkable because they give us an insight into the metaphysical way of Herbert's thought.
4. Sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye,
Thy root is even in its grave,
And thou must die.
Explanation-
These lines have been taken from the poem entitled Vertue written by George Herbert. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet shows the ultimate fare of a cool, calm, bright and sweet day. Here. he speaks of the fate of another beautiful object-a sweet rose. In this second stanza a sweet rose of deep red colour, like the flushed face of an angry or a bold main, is so dazzling to the eyes that no one can look fixedly at it for long time. He has to rub his eyes because of the fatigue caused by dazzle. But even such a sweet and majestic thing is not immune come decay Unlike men who are buried in the grave after death the roots of the rose are buried in the grave ever since its birth. Thus, decay is inherent
in its very existense. The sweet rose is bound to fade away in the same way as a bright day is bound to be followed by a dark night. By givin concrete instances of these two beautiful objects, the poet su that all things of the earth will perish, no matter how beautiful and lovely they are. ggests These lines are important because they concretise the experience of Herbert. The language is metaphysical in true sense of the term. It may be noted here that the idea contained in the first two lines of this stanza is very far fetched and most unusual. The comparison of the colour of a rose with the colour of the face of an angry or bold man is something unusual. But more unusual than this is the assertion thatlate the colour of the rose bids a rash gazer to wipe his eyes out of fatigue Actually, the sight of a beautiful rose is soothing in the eyes. This unusualness is a typical quality of all meta-physical poets.
The bridal of the earth and sky
The dew shall weep thy fall to night
For thou must die.
Explanation-
In this opening stanza of the poem Vertue, Herbert speaks about the short-lived nature of a delightfully bright and refreshingly cool and calm day. Its brightness suggests that it is in delightful mood, and is clap in beautiful dress in order to celebrate the wedding of the earth and the sky. Marriage is a happy occasion, when people appear in their best dress, and there is a spirit of joviality all around. In bright day light the earth and the sky seem to meet at the horizon. This fact together with the brightness of day suggests to the poet the idea of the bridale of the earth and the sky. At first the poet is attracted by the beauty and charm of such a day. But soon he remembers that the day with all its beauty, brightness and splendour would come, to an end as soon as darkness would set in. The day will be followed by night, light would be replaced by darkness and tears would be shed in the form of dew-drops to mourn the passing away of day. This realisation makes the poet sad. The poet's sense of beauty is over shadowed by his knowledge of the transitoriness of all beautiful things. These lines are remarkable because they give us an insight into the metaphysical way of Herbert's thought.
4. Sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye,
Thy root is even in its grave,
And thou must die.
Explanation-
These lines have been taken from the poem entitled Vertue written by George Herbert. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet shows the ultimate fare of a cool, calm, bright and sweet day. Here. he speaks of the fate of another beautiful object-a sweet rose. In this second stanza a sweet rose of deep red colour, like the flushed face of an angry or a bold main, is so dazzling to the eyes that no one can look fixedly at it for long time. He has to rub his eyes because of the fatigue caused by dazzle. But even such a sweet and majestic thing is not immune come decay Unlike men who are buried in the grave after death the roots of the rose are buried in the grave ever since its birth. Thus, decay is inherent
in its very existense. The sweet rose is bound to fade away in the same way as a bright day is bound to be followed by a dark night. By givin concrete instances of these two beautiful objects, the poet su that all things of the earth will perish, no matter how beautiful and lovely they are. ggests These lines are important because they concretise the experience of Herbert. The language is metaphysical in true sense of the term. It may be noted here that the idea contained in the first two lines of this stanza is very far fetched and most unusual. The comparison of the colour of a rose with the colour of the face of an angry or bold man is something unusual. But more unusual than this is the assertion thatlate the colour of the rose bids a rash gazer to wipe his eyes out of fatigue Actually, the sight of a beautiful rose is soothing in the eyes. This unusualness is a typical quality of all meta-physical poets.
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