The speaker of "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" is a
humble shepherd who makes a grand offer out of what he has. What he offers her is a
kind of peaceful, rustic, simple life. Their time will be spent sitting upon the rocks,
watching the river flow by and listening to the songbirds singing their
"madrigals" around them. For added entertainment, they shall watch the other shepherds
dance and sing. It's all quite simple, but he is offering his time with her as the
grand gesture. In terms of material things, he offers her the finest nature will
yield: "beds of roses [a]nd... posies," a "cap of flowers," and a dress sewn with
myrtle leaves, a gown from the finest wool their sheep will provide, warm slippers with
"buckles of the purest gold,"
readability="8">
a belt of straw and ivy
buds,
With coral clasps and amber
studs.
In short, he offers
her the best of what a shepherd has to offer: his time, his possessions, and his love.
She may want more, but he has offered her all he has.
In
"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd," a response is made to this proposal of marriage.
It doesn't look good for the hopeful Shepherd if the first word she speaks is
IF. Her argument iscompelling: If young men were all truthful and
if time could stand still, perhaps I would consider your offer. As it stands, she
reminds him of the perils of weather and seasons and the rotting or withering away of
all his nature-based gifts. In short, time is the enemy and young love fades
away.
All
these in me no means can moveTo come to thee and be thy
love.
Both arguments are
valid and deserve consideration.
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