17 pages • 34 minutes read
Robert HerrickThe Argument of His Book
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1648A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Marriage
The references to “bridegrooms,” “brides,” and “bridal-cakes” (Line 4) serve as imagery having to do with marriage. Marriage denotes unity—a melding together of different people and parts. Just as marriage brings together individuals, the speaker of Herrick’s poem marries together different topics as the subjects of their songs and writings. Natural imagery of spring combines with imagery of trade goods and folklore. Marriage serves as the perfect symbolism for what the speaker is effectively doing in their verses and what any poet does when constructing a text: They merge potentially disparate subjects together to form a cohesive whole. Such is the role of a creator—of a poet.
Spring
Herrick’s poem opens with natural imagery of spring and references to the spring months. The speaker comments on celebrations typically held during the springtime. Throughout the poem, topics associated with the spring are mentioned as well, such as “flowers” (Line 2), “dews” (Line 7), and “rains” (Line 7). Springtime evokes thoughts of new life, of birth, and of creation. Asking readers to consider the possibilities that come with spring opens them up to the possibilities the text can bring. Since Herrick’s poem is placed at the opening of Hesperides and is an “argument” for what the reader is to see in the text, beginning with notions of the spring is an efficacious rhetorical move on Herrick’s part. It mentally and emotionally prepares readers for what will follow in the full volume.
Time
Though Herrick’s poem begins by referencing a specific period of time, more particularly a specific time of the year—spring—the lines don’t linger on this season alone. Rather, as the poem progresses, the lines imply change. After the speaker brings up “youth” and “love” (Line 5) that accompany the spring season along with its rain showers and flowers, the tone of the poem shifts. The speaker notes that they sing of “Time’s trans-shifting” (Line 9), meaning that they sing of change. The imagery of flowers and warmer months with its implications of sunshine gives way to “twilights” (Line 11). The poem shifts from realistic, natural imagery, to references to folklore, to allusions to Christian theology. Just as time changes and spring eventually gives way to the next season, the topics of literature are liable to shift in the same manner that a text progresses.
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By Robert Herrick
