Introduction
The poems “A Red, Red Rose,” “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” and “Come, My Celia” are all about love and passion. The writers in these three poems represent love and truthfulness, and they evoke great emotions in the reader who reads all of their poetry. Many individuals find it simpler to relate to poetry and ballets about love and the fantasy that goes with it. Each of these poems has a similar subject but is expressed distinctly.
The theme of Love in “A Red, Red Rose”
The first, “A Red, Red Rose,” depicts powerful, eternal love. Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, wrote it in 1794. This poem was amongst the renowned love poems in English, and it is currently still widely recognized. The speaker’s intense, unending love is the topic and expression of the entire poem. In each line, he describes his love as everlasting, robust, and extremely great. “A Red, Red Rose” is the story of a young man, profoundly in love and relates his feelings to a variety of lovely and enduring objects. In the opening, he describes that his “love is like a red rose in springtime/ and like a melody/ thats sweetly play’d in tune.” This declares it as blossoming, renewed and lovely, and that his love is a lovely eternal melody.
He goes on to emphasize his devotion by declaring that love will last till the seas dry up. By halfway through the poem, one can understand how he employs virtually impossible scenarios to express the concept of love he is attempting to depict. When the poem progresses, he continues his love tango by declaring, “And I will luve thee still, my dear,/ while the sands of life shall run.” He characterizes his love for her as unending and eternal. Regardless of where, when, or how it occurs. His feelings for her will last forever. The creator of this poem offers it a narrative feel by demonstrating that the gentleman is in eternal love with the woman and will go to any length to have her regardless of the proximity.
The Theme of Love in “The Passionate Shepherd to his Love”
Christopher Marlowe, an English poet, wrote “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” in 1599. The poem centres on a young fervent shepherd striving to persuade a lady to continue with him, stay with him, and have a lavish life filled with the loveliest things. He tries to entice her with many sorts of love, such as scenery, nature, and material possessions. He starts by romantically detailing the locations they might be together as they live every moment of their life together. He goes on to describe how they will be pleased while “sitting on the rocks/watching the shepherds feed their flocks” and listening to their environment.
In the following lines, he entices her with tempting presents such as a “bed of roses,” a robe of the softest wool, and shoes with golden clasps, and makes his proposal at the very start of the poem. He closes the poem with a promise that, despite being a shepherd, he is going to ensure she delights and has an elegant life. He assures her that her meals would be served on plates of silver placed on an “ivory table,” and that each “May morning” rural lads will dance, sing, and amuse her if she consents to “live with him and be his love.”
Marlowe concludes the piece firmly, “The shepherds’ 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” (Marlowe). The writer has left the reader without a promise that the woman shall discover what the Shepherd has provided, as well as the chance that the Shepherd may be dissatisfied or joyful.
The Theme of Love in “Come, My Celia”
Ben Jonson, an English poet, wrote this poem. The overarching subject is the passing of time, and the necessity or urge to spend as much time as possible and as completely as possible with the person we love before dying. The piece revolves around a guy attempting to persuade his crush, Celia, to surrender to love and engage in “sports of love” with him.
Firstly, he claims that time is precious and they, particularly the woman, ought not to waste it, saying, “Spend not then his gifts in vain.” He commits himself to not taking the gifts of time, life, and love too lightly. He essentially talks about the way time ought to be seized to treasure it, express one’s emotions, and go on with one’s life. The poem’s symbolism, alliteration, and general imagery make it simpler to comprehend what Ben Jonson is truly attempting to express to whoever it is referring to.
Secondly, he contends that the criminal is not the act of intimacy itself, but a retelling of it: “‘Tis no sin love’s fruit to steal, But the sweet theft to reveal/To be taken, to be seen,/ These have crimes accounted been.” (Jonson). The piece shifts from one regarding not wasting time together to one concerning a covert romance at this juncture. “Cannot we delude the eyes/ of a few poor household spies?” he asks. Since he says they’ve been seen by certain “household spies,” he’s advising Celia to take pleasure in their time together as it won’t last long. The author of this poem presents the reader with a variety of concepts by implying that their love has been restricted and that the time they were together and left was loved but is tragically finishing.
Conclusion
Finally, all of these poems supply the audience with images and emotions from the piece itself, leaving them desiring more. Since the tales behind the poems are all relevant, the poems discussed help the audience to share and comprehend the author’s viewpoint. Love is an easy topic to write about because everyone feels it at some point in their lives. All of these poems are linked by the same concept and structure: love. These three authors each offered their poems a distinct setting and notion of love, allowing the reader to develop and grasp the various emotions this feeling brings, regardless of if it is love for a person or love for an object.
References
Burns, R. (n.d.). A red, red rose by Robert Burns. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43812/a-red-red-rose
Johnson, B. (n.d.). Song: To Celia [Come, my Celia, let us prove] by…. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50675/song-to-celia-come-my-celia-let-us-prove
Marlowe, C. (n.d.). The passionate shepherd to his love by…. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44675/the-passionate-shepherd-to-his-love
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