Christopher Marlowe
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That valleys, groves, or hills, or field,
Or woods and steepy mountain yields;
Where we will sit upon rocks,
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
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;
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
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.
2.Table completion: Look more closely at the poem, and then fill in the table.
List all the things the shepherd offers to his love.What kinds of things are they? Organize them under these headings or choose your own.
3.Consider the following questions after your reading.
1)The shepherd repeats one phrase three times.
a.What is it?
b.Do you think this suggests that he is:
trying to be persuasive/desperate/something else?
Explain your reasons.
2)This is a pastoralpoem: one where the countryside is shown as perfect, with all the less attractive aspects left out.
a.Identify details that suggest the shepherd is presenting an unrealistic picture of country life.
b.Why does he do this?
Notes
1. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928):He was an English novelist and poet.While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.Hardy criticises certain social constraints that hindered the lives of those living in the 19th century.Considered a Victorian Realist writer, Hardy examines the social constraints that are part of the Victorian status quo, suggesting these rules hinder the lives of all involved and ultimately lead to unhappiness.