Nature; or

Something Like It

The Worldly View Through Poetry

Edited, Introduction, and Notes By:

Amanda Bevacqua

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Context of Nature Introduction 3

Lady Mary Wroth– Song 1 4

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29 6

Robert Herrich– Daffadills 7

Andrew Marvel- The Mowers Against Gardening

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William Shakespeare-LXXII 9

John Donne– The Bait 10

The Sun Rising 11

Song 12

Henry Howard– Description of Spring

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John Milton– On May Morning 14

References & Further Readings 15

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Introduction Nature can mean a many splendor things. It could apply to the great outdoors, or a reflection of ones self. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term Nature means “the phe-nomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, ani-mals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations: the breathtaking beauty of nature .” That being said, it should not be shocking to see that many poets write about Nature in some form or another. This element of the world unknown can relate to life as a whole. Much like Nature, the average human cannot be tamed or taken for granted. Poets like to use Nature to compare beauty or express ones feelings. It can be used as an object to reflect positive or negative emotions. This collection of poetry is in no particular order, besides by author. Each poet, you will see, has a different spin on how Nature is viewed. Whether it is comparing a loved one to the beauty of Nature, being joyful for a beautiful May Morning, or just about fish, each poet portrays an image though the use of Nature.

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Song. I. THe spring now come at last To Trees, Fields, to Flowres, And meadowes makes to taste His pride, while sad showres Which from mine eyes doe flow Makes knowne with cruell paines, Cold Winter yet remaines, No signe of Spring we knowe. The Sunne which to the Earth Giues heate, light, and pleasure, Ioyes in Spring, hateth Dearth, Plenty makes his Treasure. His heate to me is colde, His light all darknesse is, Since I am barrd of blisse, I heate, nor light behold A Shepherdesse thus said, Who was with griefe opprest, For truest Loue betrayd, Barrd her from quiett rest: And weeping thus, said shee, My end approacheth neere, Now Willow must I weare, My fortune so will bee. With Branches of this tree Ile dresse my haplesse head, Which shall my wittnes bee, My hopes in Loue are dead: My cloathes imbroder'd all, Shall be with Garlands round, Some scatter'd, others bound; Some tyde, some like to fall.

The Barke my Booke shall bee, Where dayly I will write, This tale of haples mee, True slaue to Fortunes spite. The roote shall be my bedd, Where nightly I will lye Wailing [inconstancy], Since all true loue is dead.

And these Lines I will leaue, If some such Louer come, Who may them right conceiue, and place them on my Tombe: She who still constant lou'd Now dead with cruell care, Kill'd with unkind Dispaire, And change, her end heere prou'd.

10 20 30 40 -Lady Mary Wroth

23: Willow is a reference to crying.

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20. THe Sunne which glads, the earth at his bright sight, When in the morne he showes his golden face, And takes the place from tedious drowsie Night. Making the world still happy in his grace. Shewes happinesse remaines not in one place, Nor may the Heauens alone to vs giue light, But hide that cheerfull face, though noe long space, Yet long enough for tryall of their might. But neuer Sun-set could be so obscure, No Desart euer had a shade so sad: Nor could black darknesse euer proue so bad, As paines which absence makes me now indure. The missing of the Sunne [awhile] makes Night, But absence of my ioy sees neuer light. -Lady Mary Wroth

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29. FLy hence O! Ioy, noe longer heere abide, Too great thy pleasures are for my despaire To looke on, losses now must proue my fare; Who not long since on better foode relide. But foole, how oft had I Heau'ns changing spi'de Before of mine owne fate I could haue care: Yet now past time, I can too late beware, When nothings left but sorrowes faster ty'de. While I inioyd that Sunne, whose sight did lend Me ioy, I thought that day could haue no end: But soon a night came cloath'd in absence darke; Absence more sad, more bitter then is gall, Or death, when on true Louers it doth fall; Whose fires of loue, disdaine reasts poorer sparke. -Lady Mary Wroth

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1: Ioy is joy, at this time i’s where substituted for j’s.

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To Daffadills. Faire Daffadills, we weep to see You haste away so soone : As yet the early-rising sun Has not attain'd his noone. Stay, stay, Untill the hasting day Has run But to the Even-song ; And, having pray'd together, we Will goe with you along. We have short time to stay, as you, We have as short a spring ; As quick a growth to meet decay, As you, or any thing. -Robert Herrich

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The Mower against Gardens. Luxurious Man, to bring his Vice in use, Did after him the World seduce : And from the fields the Flow'rs and Plants allure, Where Nature was most plain and pure. He first enclos'd within the Gardens square A dead and standing pool of Air : And a more luscious Earth for them did knead, Which stupifi'd them while it fed. The Pink grew then as double as his Mind ; The nutriment did change the kind. With strange perfumes he did the Roses taint. And Flow'rs themselves were taught to paint. The Tulip, white, did for complexion seek ; And learn'd to interline its cheek : Its Onion root they then so high did hold, That one was for a Meadow sold. Another World was search'd, through Oceans new, To find the Marvel of Peru. And yet these Rarities might be allow'd, To Man, that sov'raign thing and proud ; Had he not dealt between the Bark and Tree, Forbidden mixtures there to see. No Plant now knew the Stock from which it came ; He grafts upon the Wild the Tame : That the uncertain and adult'rate fruit Might put the Palate in dispute. His green Seraglio has its Eunuchs too ; Lest any Tyrant him out-doe. And in the Cherry he does Nature vex, To procreate without a Sex. 'Tis all enforc'd ; the Fountain and the Grot ; While the sweet Fields do lye forgot : Where willing Nature does to all dispence A wild and fragrant Innocence : And Fauns and Faryes do the Meadows till, More by their presence then their skill. Their Statues polish'd by some ancient hand, May to adorn the Gardens stand : But howso'ere the Figures do excel, The Gods themselves with us do dwell. -Andrew Marvel

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27:Seraglio: Part of a Muslim dwelling in which the women are

secluded.

28: Eunuchs: A castrated person of the male sex.

31: Grot is a particle, atom, or fragment.

18: Marvel of Peru is an ornamental plant.

25: Adult-rate: Debase or made intermixture or admixture

26: Palate is the roof of the mouth.

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LXXIII That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou seest the glowing of such fire, That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon in must expire, Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by. This thou perceive’st which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long: -William Shakespeare

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5: Seest is an old term for see.

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THE BAIT. Come live with me, and be my love. And we will some new pleasures prove Of golden sands, and crystal brooks, With silken lines and silver hooks. There will the river whisp’ring ran Warm'd by thy eyes, more than the sun ; And there th' enamoor'd fish will stay, Begging themselves they may betray. When thou wilt swim in that live bath, Each fish, which every channel hath, Will amorously to thee swim, Gladder to catch thee, than thou him. If thou, to be so seen, be'st loth, By sun or moon, thou dark'nest both, And if myself have leave to see, I need not their light, having thee. Let others freeze with angling reeds. And cut their legs with shells and weeds, Or treacherously poor fish beset. With strangling snare, or windowy net. Let coarse bold hands from slimy nest The bedded fish in banks out-wrest ; Or curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies, Bewitch poor fishes' wand'ring eyes. For thee, thou need'st no such deceit, For thou thyself art thine own bait : That fish, that is not catch'd thereby, Alas ! is wiser far than I. -John Donne

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THE SUN RISING. Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains, call on us ? Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run ? Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide Late school-boys and sour prentices, Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride, Call country ants to harvest offices ; Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time. Thy beams so reverend, and strong Why shouldst thou think ? I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink, But that I would not lose her sight so long. If her eyes have not blinded thine, Look, and to-morrow late tell me, Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine Be where thou left’st them, or lie here with me. Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday, And thou shalt hear, " All here in one bed lay." She's all states, and all princes I ; Nothing else is ; Princes do but play us ; compared to this, All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy. Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we, In that the world's contracted thus ; Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be To warm the world, that's done in warming us. Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere ; This bed thy centre is, these walls thy sphere. -John Donne

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5: Pedantic is a pendent.

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SONG. Go and catch a falling star, Get with child a mandrake root. Tell me where all past years are, Or who cleft the devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging. And find What wind Serves to advance an honest mind. If thou be'st born to strange sights, Things invisible to see, Ride ten thousand days and nights, Till age snow white hairs on thee, Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me, All strange wonders that befell thee, And swear, No where Lives a woman true and fair. If thou find'st one, let me know ; Such a pilgrimage were sweet. Yet do not, I would not go, Though at next door we might meet. Though she were true when you met her, And last till you write your letter, Yet she Will be False, ere I come, to two or three. -John Donne

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2: Mandrake root: A person looking root, which is thought to

scream when pulled.

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DESCRIPTION OF SPRING, WHEREIN EVERY THING RENEWS, SAVE ONLY THE LOVER. The soote season, that bud and bloom forth brings, With green hath clad the hill, and eke the vale. The nightingale with feathers new she sings ; The turtle to her make hath told her tale. Summer is come, for every spray now springs, The hart hath hung his old head on the pale ; The buck in brake his winter coat he slings ; The fishes flete with new repaired scale ; The adder all her slough away she slings ; The swift swallow pursueth the flies smale ; The busy bee her honey now she mings ; Winter is worn that was the flowers’ bale. And thus I see among these pleasant things Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs ! -Henry Howard

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1: Soore is sweet. 11: Mings is mingles.

4: Make is mate. 12: Bale is destruction.

10: Smale is small.

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SONG ON MAY MORNING Now the bright morning-star, Day's har- binger. Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her The flowery May, who from her green lap throws The yellow cowslip and the pale prim- rose. Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire Mirth, and youth, and warm desire ! Woods and groves are of thy dress- ing ; Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing. Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee, and wish thee long. -John Milton

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1: Harbinger: An Entertainer.

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References and Further Readings

Herrick, Robert. The lyric poems of Robert Herrick (1896). London: J. M. Dent. University of California Libraries. Web. 8 December 2012. < http://archive.org/details/lyricpoemsofrobe00herrrich>. Donne, John. Poems of John Donne (1896). C. Scribner’s sons, 1896. New York Public Library. Web. 8 December 2012. <http://archive.org/det ails/poemsjohndonne00chamgoog>. Marvell, Andrew. Miscellaneous poems (1923). London Nonesuch Press. Robarts-University of Toronto. Web. 8 December 2012. <http://arc hive.org/details/miscellaneouspoe00marvuoft>. Milton, John. The complete poetical works of John Milton (1899). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Brigham Young University. Web. 8 December 2012. < http://archive.org/details/completepoetical00milt>. Shakespeare, William. Shakespeare’s Sonnets (1904). Alexander Moring, Limited, The De la More Press, 1904. Harvard University. Web. 8 December 2012. <http://archive.org/details/shakespearesson02shakgoog>. Surrey, Henry Howard. The Poems of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. W. Pickering, 1831. New York Public Library. Web. 8 December 2012. < http://archive.org/details/poemshenryhowar04surrgoog>.

***Notes by the Oxford English Dictionary