The Passionate Shepherd to His Love The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd

by Christopher Marlowe by Sir Walter Raleigh

1599 1600

Come live with me and be my love, If all the world and love were young,
And we will all the pleasures prove And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
That valleys, groves, hills, and fields These pretty pleasures might me move
Woods or steepy mountain yields To live with thee and be thy love.

And we will sit upon the rocks, Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks When rivers rage and rocks grow cold;
By shallow rivers to whose falls And Philomel becometh dumb;
Melodious birds sing madrigals. The rest complain of cares to come.

And I will make thee beds of roses The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
And a thousand fragrant posies, To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A cap of flower, and a kirtle A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle; Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

A gown made of the finest wool Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy bed of roses,
Which from our pretty lambs we pull; Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies,
Fair lined slippers for the cold Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten,
With buckles of the purest gold; In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

A belt of straw and ivy buds, Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
With coral clasps and amber studs; Thy coral clasps and amber studs,
And if these pleasures may thee move, All these in me no means can move
Come live with me and be my love. To come to thee and be thy love.

The shepherds' swains shall dance and sing But could youth last and love still breed,
For thy delight each May morning: Had joys no date nor age no need,
If these delights thy mind may move, Then these delights my mind might move
Then live with me and be my love. To live with thee and be thy love.

Notes for "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love."

Pastoral lyric:Poetry that expresses emotions in an idyllic setting. It is related to the term
"pasture," and is associated with shepherds writing music to their flocks. The tradition goes back
to David in the Bible and Hesiod the Greek poet.

The themes of the poem - carpe diem and the immediate gratification of their sexual
passions.
Love in the May countryside will be like a return to the Garden of Eden. There is a
tradition that our problems are caused by having too many restrictions, by society. If we
could get away from these rules, we could return to a prisitine condition of happiness.
The "free love" movement of the 1960's was a recent manifestation of this utopian
belief. If the nymph would go a-maying with the shepherd, they would have a perfect
life.
In quatrains (4 line stanzas) of iambic tetrameter (8 syllables per line, 4 measures per
line with 2 syllables in each measure), the shepherd invites his beloved to experience
the joys of nature.

He hopes to return with the nymph to aEdenic life of free love in nature.

Notes for "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd."

Raleigh argues that it is not society that taints sexual love. We are already tainted
before we enter society. Releigh combines carpe diem with tempus fugit in an unusual
way. Normally we should sieze the day because time flies. Raleigh argues that
because time flies, we should NOT sieze the day. There will be consequences to their
roll in the grass. Time does not stand still; winter inevitably follows the spring; therefore,
we cannot act on impulses until we have examined the consequences.

The world is NOT young--we are not in Eden, but in this old fallen world - a world in
which shepherds have actually been known to lie to their nymphs.

This poem by Sir Walter Raleigh uses the same meter and references to present "mirror
images" of Marlowe's poem. The feminine persona (the nymph) of the poem sets up a
hypothetical set of questions that undermine the intelligence of the man's offer because
all that he offers is transitory. She reverses his images into negative ones:

rocks grow cold

fields yield to the harvest

the flocks are driven to fold in winter

rivers rage

birds complain of winter (a reference to the story of Philomela who was raped
and turned into a nightingale).

We live in a fallen world. Free love in the grass in impossible now because the world is
not in some eternal spring. The seasons pass, as does time. Nymphs grow old, and
shepherds grow cold.

What is the theme of "The Passionate

Shepherd to his Love"?
Christopher Marlowe's (1564-1593) pastoral love lyric "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love" is
believed to have been written in 1588 when he was a student at Cambridge. It was published
posthumously in 1599.

The poem is the "passionate" appeal of a young shepherd to his beloved lady love "to come and
live with him." It is not a marriage proposal but an overt appeal by the shepherd requesting her
to spend some time with him so that he can use her as a means of satisfying his desire for
passionate sex with her.

The tone of the poem is both idealistic and idyllic. The shepherd lists out only the pleasures and
not the drawbacks or dangers of a pastoral life to tempt her into accepting his offer. In the first
stanza he describes the places in a very romantic manner where they could make love:

COME live with me and be my Love, /And we will all the pleasures prove /That hills and
valleys, dale and field, /And all the craggy mountains yield.

In the second stanza he tells her how they will happily live while away their time sitting on the
rocks and watching the other shepherds feed their flocks as they listen to the melodious birds:

There will we sit upon the rocks/ And see the shepherds feed their flocks,/ By shallow rivers, to
whose falls /Melodious birds sing madrigals.

In the next three stanzas he tempts her with attractive gifts like, a bed of roses, a cap of flowers, a
flowery skirt, a gown of the finest wool, a beautiful belt with "corals clasps and amber studs" and
slippers with golden buckles and repeats his offer which he made at the beginning of the poem.

He concludes the poem by telling her, in the last two stanzas, that although he is only a shepherd
he will ensure that she enjoys a royal life style with her food being served on silver plates set on
an ivory table and by promising her that every "May-morning" (every day in the month of May)
country youths shall dance and sing and entertain her if she agrees to "live with him and be his
love."

Marlowe's lyric is a universal (all times and all places) example of how young men tempt pretty
girls with fantastic offers - slippers with golden buckles! -to make them yield to fulfill their
sexual desires.
QUESTIONS

Popular Questions

What are 3 literary devices used in "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by
Christopher Marlowe?...

What are some comparisons and contrasts between "The Passionate Shepherd to his
Love" by...

What does "a belt of straw and ivy buds, with coral clasps and amber studs" mean in
"The...

What figures of speech are used in the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"?

Who is the speaker in "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love?"

Who is the speaker of the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"?

How is the romantic escape motif in "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love" used in
todays media?

Compare and contrast the subject of love in Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His
Love" and...

Compare "To His Coy Mistress" and "The Passionate Shepard to His Love." Does
Marvell's poem make...

More The Passionate Shepherd to His Love Questions

What are 3 literary devices used in "The

Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by
Christopher Marlowe? How do they enhance
the poem?
Literary devices are used by poets to make their meaning clearer in poems in only a few words.
There are many types of literary devices used in poems. Three in this pastoral poem are heroic
couplets, sensory details and alliteration.

Heroic couples are pairs of rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare made these
popular in his sonnets (this is not a sonnet), but they produce a beautifully rhythmic poem.
Notice that the rhyming lines continue throughout the poem. An example from the first stanza
that sometimes the words dont seem to rhyme, but within the rhythm of the poem they do:

COME live with me and be my Love,

And we will all the pleasures prove

That hills and valleys, dale and field,

And all the craggy mountains yield. (lines 1-4)

Lines 1 and 2 and lines 3 and 4 rhyme.

Sensory details are also present throughout the poem. The poet carefully chooses his words to
help us create an image with our five senses. Phrases like melodious birds and fragrant
posies help create the sweet, carefree pastoral setting. Consider lines 16 and 17:

A belt of straw and ivy buds

With coral clasps and amber studs: (lines 17-18)

Words like this create a picture in our minds. They also help sell the pastoral poem effect,
describing nature in an idealized, inviting way. In this case, the speaker wants the woman to
come and live with him in the beautiful countryside.

Alliteration is a third device poets love to use. It helps words roll of the tongue! Alliteration is
the repetition of initial consonant sounds, and is used throughout the poem. Examples are
pleasures prove in line 2, coral clasps in line 17, shepherds feed their flocks from line 6
and these from the last stanza:

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing

For thy delight each May-morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me and be my Love.

The alliteration adds to the lovely melodious sound of the poem, and is very convincing!

Who is the speaker in "The Passionate

Shepherd to His Love?"
In the simplest of terms, the speaker in Marlowe's poem is a shepherd who is love with another
person. From the title, it becomes clear that the subject of the pastoral poem is an unnamed
shepherd who declares his love to another in the first line: "Come live with me, and be my
love." The shepherd continues to speak in terms of enticing the object of his love to remain with
him in the countryside. Assurances such as "There will I make thee beds of roses," "The
shepherd swains shall dance and sing" along with "buckles made of the purest gold" and "a belt
of straw and ivory buds" are given to ensure that both the shepherd and his love remain together.

The entire frame of reference spoken throughout the poem is one in which the shepherd speaks to
this particular person. The shepherd wants to convince this person to remain with him in the
countryside. It is evident that with so many promises, it is a difficult proposition. Yet, the
shepherd is convinced of the authenticity of his convictions and promises. This sense of
commitment underscores how he is the speaker in the poem. It is through his voice that the
reader comes to understand Marlowe's depiction of what seems to be an idealized construction of
love in the naturally pastoral setting.

How is the romantic escape motif in "The

Passionate Shepherd to his Love" used in
todays media?
The escape motif present in this poem is definitely captured in many media forms
today. You need to remember that this poem is a pastoral poem. Pastoral poems are
always set in an idealised countryside inhabited by ruggedly handsome shepherds
and stunningly beautiful women (or nymphs). These characters all live idyllic lives in
harmony with their environment. Of course, what these poems completely do is
ignore the reality of such romantic escapes - life in the countryside, especially in
Marlowes time would be incredibly hard work for both the man and woman in the
relationship. Some of these elements are raised in Sir Walter Raleighs poem which
he wrote in response to Marlowe, entitled, "The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd". Of
course we can all think of many adverts or films or examples of literature where the
lovers escape and have a romantic ending - no reference is made to the harshness
of such an escape and the disadvantages to such a new life.

Compare and contrast the subject of love in

Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His
Love" and Raleigh's "The Nymph's Reply to
Shepherd."
I agree with #2, though there is an undertone of haughtiness to the Nymph's reply. A rustic
shepherd offers all he has, and the response is, of course, no. What he offers physically is
fleeting, it's true, but she dismisses his love as fleeting, as well. Though he does not mention love
or marriage, he does offer everything he has, and she will have none of it. I don't blame her for
wanting something more permanent, though.

The passionate shepherd is a pastoral poem with a bit of the carpe diem of the age in it. He says
to the young lady, if you like fair weather, simple gifts from nature (beds of flowers, skirts, wool
shoes, coral clasps, etc.), then come live with me and be my love. This is a sieze the moment
poem where he appeals to the girl's sense of living in the present and going for the temporary
pleasures that the scenery, sheep, and his attentions in the spring and summer sun can afford her.
He never mentions marriage or long-term love.

The nypmh's reply capitalizes on this. She says, if you could promise that it would last
forever...if the summer would be here all year around and your love would never die...then I
would be moved. BUT all the things you mention are temporary with no hint of permanent
conviction or commitment. Shepherds have "honey tongues" and none of this will last, so why
should I come be your love? I can get sweet talk right here where I am, thank you very much.
She's not buying what he's trying to sell.

The passionate shepherd is a pastoral poem with a bit of the carpe diem of the age in it.

He says to the young lady, if you like fair weather, simple gifts from nature (beds of flowers,
skirts, wool shoes, coral clasps, etc.), then come live with me and be my love. This is a sieze the
moment poem where he appeals to the girl's sense of living in the present and going for the
temporary pleasures that the scenery, sheep, and his attentions in the spring and summer sun can
afford her. He never mentions marriage or long-term love.

The nypmh's reply capitalizes on this. She says, if you could promise that it would last
forever...if the summer would be here all year around and your love would never die...then I
would be moved. BUT all the things you mention are temporary with no hint of permanent
conviction or commitment. Shepherds have "honey tongues" and none of this will last, so why
should I come be your love? I can get sweet talk right here where I am, thank you very much.
She's not buying what he's trying to sell.

What are some comparisons and contrasts

between "The Passionate Shepherd to his
Love" by Christopher Marlowe and "The
Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir
Walter Raleigh?
The most obvious point of both comparison and contrast between these two works is that
Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" is an invitation while Sir Walter
Raleigh's "The Nymph's Rely to the Shepherd" is an answer to the proposal. By their very nature,
then, they are both connected and nothing alike. While they both clearly reference some of the
same images, both poems have different functions: one poses a question and one answers it.

Another obvious point of contrast for these poems is the speaker's tone--as well as the speakers
themselves. Marlowe's speaker is a young shepherd who wants the woman he loves to marry
him; Marlowe's speaker is that young woman who gives the shepherd her answer. The tone of the
"passionate shepherd" is hopeful and romantic; he offers this woman everything he has which is
of value (to him, anyway) and promises her a life of pastoral luxury. The tone of the "reply" is,
well, not as romantic.

The shepherd highlights some things he hopes will move this woman to marry him, including
these:

And I will make thee beds of Roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;
A belt of straw and Ivy buds,
With Coral clasps and Amber studs:
The young and hopeful shepherd describes how they will spend their days outdoors, listening to
his shepherds play their songs and enjoying the various kinds of beauty found in nature.

Unfortunately, the response is not what the shepherd wanted to hear, "Passionate Shepherd" is
full of innocence and delight, while "Reply" is full of skepticism and doubt. It is a contrast
between innocence and experience, and experience wins the day. Perhaps there was a time when
the nymph might have said yes, but she has lived through a few seasons and knows what happens
over time. The nymph points out that everything he offers her is great--until the weather changes,
which of course it will, and unless he is lying. Then things will look a little differently:
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.
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.
All of those lovely things are only temporal, and when the seasons change, they will no longer be
beautiful or valuable, at least not to her.

On the other hand, the two poems are quite similar because the "reply" is a mirror, or perhaps an
older, wiser echo of the proposal poem. Notice the two quotes from the poem, above, in which
the nymph repeats all of the things he said he will give her. This is true for everything in the
shepherd's poem. If he mentions sitting on a rock, the reply also mentions it; if he mentions
listening to madrigals, so does she. This is really the one thing they have in common, and it is
quite significant. There is no mistaking that "Reply" is connected to and a direct response to
"Passionate Shepherd."

Despite their containing most of the same elements, it is the tone which most sets these two
poems apart. One reflects the innocence and hopefulness of young love while the other expresses
the more cynical view that shepherds do not always tell the truth and that seasons will inevitably
change.

The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd Themes

Sir Walter Raleigh
Skepticism
This poem is a response to Christopher Marlowes The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,
written in 1599. In Marlowes poem, the shepherd asks the woman that he loves to run away with
him and live the simple life outdoors, where he will make her clothes from flowers and shells
and the wool of their sheep, and life will be a celebration of their youthful love. In her response,
Raleigh has the nymph list reasons why the ideal life that the shepherd describes is unlikely to
happen. The shepherd emphasizes his love, as if love alone can conquer any problems, and he
lists the things that he is willing to do for her as well as the splendors of the simple country life.
The nymph, on the other hand, looks at the darker side of human nature. In the second line, she
brings up the idea that shepherds do, in fact, lie sometimes, implying that she would be foolish to
believe everything that he claims. Throughout the rest of the poem, she explains reasons why,
whether he is sincere or not, she has to be skeptical that their life together would be as the
shepherd describes it. Her main point is that the shepherds plans do not account for the changes
that are inevitable over time, and so the future that he foresees will almost certainly not come to
pass. Her skepticism is based on the fact that she understands his hopeful vision, but that she also
sees that he does not understand the world well enough to make an accurate prediction.

Abstinence and Chastity

An element that is important to understanding the nymphs reluctance, but that is never explicitly
stated in the poem, is the value she places on her chastity. Her main argument is that the young
lovers will probably, over time, lose interest in one an- other as youthful beauty fades and
eventually part. To readers who assume that the two could then go on with their lives separately,
this might seem unimportant. This view, however, does not take into account how much would
have changed in the nymphs life by the sheer fact of having lived with the shepherd. To a young
lady of the sixteenth century, the importance of retaining her chastity and the circumstances
under which she would give it up could not be overstated. There would be no going back to the
person she was before once she decided to live with the shepherd. To the strong Christian
sensibilities of Elizabethan England, living and sleeping with the shepherd would constitute a
serious sin. To a great...

(The entire section is 1006 words.)

Can someone please explain the poem, "The

Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir
Walter Raleigh?
The nymph's reply to the shepherd is one that the shepherd does not want to hear. She rejects
him. In her reply, she says that love is inconstant and that she does not believe that love is
everlasting. Because of this and because she clearly has trust issues, she rejects the shepherd. In
addition, she takes the shepherd's poem, point by point, and explains that the things that he wants
to provide her with and show her will either die or change with time. She ends the poem by
saying that she cannot be moved to love him no matter what he promises her or says to her. In
the last stanza, she concludes this way:

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.

Sir Walter Raleigh wrote this poem as a response to Christopher Marlowe's poem, The
Passionate Shepherd to His Love. In Marlowe's poem, the shepherd woos his love by making
promises of an idyllic pastoral life and all sorts of material benefits if she chooses to be with him.

In The Nymph's reply to the Shepherd, Raleigh's nymph rejects the shepherd's advances since she
finds his promises unsatisfying and hardly commensurate to her expectations of what an ideal
relationship is like. Her comments clearly indicate that she finds the shepherd's promises limited
since they are restricted to material values and do not relate to true commitment and loyalty at
all.

The nymph is critical of the shepherd's honeyed tongue and suggests that it could disguise an
acid and cold heart. The words promise much, but are only that. The shepherd hardly mentions
what he actually feels and he might be devoid of true passion.
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall,

The nymph rejects each of the shepherd's promises and emphasises the transient nature of all that
he mentions. None of the promised delights he mentions are permanent and all are bound to die,
fade away or lose their value over time.

What the nymph needs is something permanent, greater than the transitory, something that
transcends the periodic nature of things. In her reply she states:

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 therefore rejects the shepherd's appeal. She desires things which, one may believe,
are impossible to attain: (ever)lasting youth, a regenerative love, permanent, timeless and
inconsequential joy. However, although her request may seem paradoxical, her wish is not an
unrealistic one. She seeks true happiness throughout her lifetime, i.e. her desire is that these
qualities should endure during her stay on earth with the shepherd as her companion, and this is a
promise he does not, or is unwilling, to make.