WalsinghamSir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618)

A famous explorer and favorite of Queen Elizabeth, Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London by James I where he lived a comfortable lifestyle with his family. Because he could not leave the fortress, he devoted himself to scientific experiments and writing. When Raleigh was executed, his last words to his executioner were, “This is sharp medicine; but it is a sure cure for all diseases. What dost thou fear? Strike, man, strike.”

In 1061, a Saxon noblewoman claimed to have a vision of the Virgin Mary; consequently, the village became a famous destination of holy pilgrimages. It is now famous for its religious shrines of the Virgin Mary.

Background

www.walsinghamvillage

.org

ContentThe poem’s narrator asks a traveler who is returning from Walsingham, if he saw his “true love.” His query shows his desperation even though he reveals that “love” may have had different meanings for each of them.

Structure

The poem is a narrative styled like a ballad that consists of two speakers who take turns with each stanza.

Divided into ten quatrains, the poem’s rhyme scheme is irregular and seemingly unimportant. (This may be a result of the various versions and spellings of words associated with this poem.

‘As ye came from the holy land Of Walsingham,Met you not with my true love By the way as you came?’ ‘How should I know your true love, That have met many a one,As I went from the holy land, That have come, that have gone?’

‘She is neither white nor brown, But as the heavens fair; There is none hath a form so divine In the earth or then air.’ ‘Such a one did I meet, sir, Such an angelic face,Who like a queen, like a nymph, did appear By her gait, by her grace.’

‘She hath left me here alone, All alone, as unknown,Who sometimes did me lead with herself And me loved as her own.’

‘What’s the cause that she leaves you alone And a new way doth take,That sometime did love you as her own, And her joy did you make?’

‘I have loved her all my youth, But now am old, as you see:Love likes not the falling fruit, Nor the witherèd tree.’

‘Know that Love is a careless child, And forgets promise past: He is blind, he is deaf when he list, And in faith never fast.’

‘His desire is a dureless content, And a trustless joy;He is won with a world of despair, And is lost with a toy.’

‘Of womankind such indeed is the love,

(Or the word love abusèd)Under which many childish desires And conceits are excusèd.’

‘But true love is a durable fire, In the mind ever burning,Never sick, never dead, never cold, From itself never turning.’

Walsingham Sir Walter Raleighhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n26H3vdOCO0

‘As you came from the holy land Of Walsingham,Met you not with my true love By the way as you came?’

‘How shall I know your true love, That have met many one,I went to the holy land, That have come, that have gone?’

Reference to holy land of Walsingham is interesting because the village is not as “holy” as other lands, like Jerusalem, Mecca, etc. The speaker may be elevating the village only because his “love” is there.

The first two stanzas are fairly direct. The first speaker asks a traveler if he has seen his “true love.” The traveler asks how he would recognize the woman in the second stanza. The use of these two interrogatives introduce the narrative and entice the listener/reader to know more.

Each stanza employs enjambment throughout to reflect the dialog between the two men.

‘She is neither white nor brown, But as the heavens fair; There is none hath a form so divine In the earth or then air.’ ‘Such a one did I meet, sir, Such an angelic face,Who like a queen, like a nymph, did appear By her gait, by her grace.’

The simile that introduces the woman’s description elevates her to more than mortal. This hyperbole reveals the speaker’s infatuation with the woman.

The contrasts in lines 1 and 4 create an image of an ethereal woman that is not a mere mortal.

The simile used by the traveler further establishes “angelic” description of the woman.

“Her gait” is reminiscent of a Petrarchan image of a woman as a goddess who can walk on air.

‘She hath left me here alone, All alone, as unknown,Who sometimes did me lead with herself And me loved as her own.’

‘What’s the cause that she leaves you alone And a new way doth take,That sometime did love you as her own, And her joy did you make?’

Repetition of “alone” creates a forlorn tone that reveals his desperation.

Caesura adds to the note of desperation.

The speaker believe s that she loved him as he loved her, but the syntax reveals a note of hesitancy by placing emphasis on “me.”

The traveler questions why she left the speaker if she loved him. His question is made valid by through syntax as emphasis is placed on “joy.” If the speaker brought her “joy,” why did she leave?

‘I have loved her all my youth, But now am old, as you see:Love likes not the falling fruit, Nor the witherèd tree.’ ‘Know that Love is a careless child, And forgets promise past: He is blind, he is deaf when he list, And in faith never fast.’

The speaker reveals that he is no longer young.

These two images of “fruit” and “tree” serve as phallic symbols possibly indicating that he has lost the ability to function sexually and therefore not long gives the woman pleasure.

“Love is personified to show how undependable it can be. Additionally, the caesura in line three helps emphasize the negative qualities of love. This reference to a “careless child” may also be an allusion to Cupid, who is often seen blindfolded.

“Love” transitions with stanza seven when “love” demonstrates negative attributes.

‘His desire is a dureless content, And a trustless joy;He is won with a world of despair, And is lost with a toy.’ ‘Of womankind such indeed is the love, (Or the word love abusèd)Under which many childish desires And conceits are excusèd.’

‘But true love is a durable fire, In the mind ever burning,Never sick, never dead, never cold, From itself never turning.’

Traveler claims that women abuse the word “love” to cover for their “childish desires” or lust.

The two concepts juxtaposed in the last two lines of stanza 9 pair “despair” with “toy” to emphasize the childish reasons that love ends.

transient

“Trustless joy” is somewhat paradoxical to show speaker’s revelations about love.

“Durable fire” implies an everlasting love, something that provides comfort and warmth.

Use of commas creates a list, and these pauses (caesura) and the repetition of the word “never” place emphasis on what love should be—eternal.

Tone

The speaker is desperate for his lover, but recognizes that she may have left him. This creates a sympathetic tone.

ThemeThe word “love” can refer to fleeting lust or to true love.

As with some of the other poems in the series, women appear as the villains because they break the heart of the men. (Could this be because women were give little choice in marriage?) This is an interesting spin on poetry and poses some interesting ideas about the nature of love.

Another Idea

Since the speaker addresses a traveler from Walsingham, a shrine to the Virgin Mary, some ideas in the poem allude to faith as the topic.

The missing woman could be Mary, who is “heavens fair” and “so divine/In the earth, or the air.”

Perhaps the speaker has lost faith because he is “now old.” This would explain his desperation.

Works Citedhttp://www.cieliterature.com/2014/04/01/walsingham/http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/can-have-an-analysis-sir-w-raleighs-walsingham-423187http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sir_walter_raleigh.htm