A Time for Love
Each generation contemplates and frets over the emotion of love; it is over analyzed by all and dealt with in a variety of manners. Varying definitions are ever-present when discussing the issue. Both Marlowes Come Live with Me and be My Love as well as Raleighs The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd represent prime examples of diverging examples of love. In Marlowes poem love is correlated with immediacy, the man in Come Live with Me is looking for Miss Right Now who he will take as his lover, not necessarily his wife; the intentions of the speaker in this particular poem could be considered questionable. Raleighs poem can be seen as a response to Marlowes poem. The speaker in Raleighs poem, a woman, wants to know what will happen after the immediacy is gone, what will be the nature of their relationship in the long term? The woman seeks to make known and respond to what she considers to be impure intentions. The clever aspect of these poems lies in the way both authors represent time, their juxtaposition of mirrored pastoral imagery and beautiful flowery language used in expressing two dissimilar states of mind; one of which focuses on immediacy, and the other which provides a rebuttal and makes mockery of the immediacy presented.
Marlowe begins his poem by offering his lady an invitation, Come live with me and be my love, / And we will all the pleasures prove, / There we will sit upon the rocks/ And see the shepherds feed their flocks, (Marlowe 583). Marlowe attempts to entice his lady to comply with his wishes of immediacy by telling her he will show her all kinds of pleasures, he tells her of the leisurely romanticized things they will do such as sit upon rocks and watch the shepherds with their sheep. Raleigh provides a counter-argument to Marlowes invitation by pronouncing some of the flaws present in Marlowes ideal. If all the world and love were young, / And truth in every shepherds toung, / these pretty pleasures might me move, / To live with thee, and be thy love. / Time drives the flocks from field to fold, / When rivers rage and rocks grow cold, (Raleigh 584). Raleigh comes back with something Marlowe hadnt addressed, old age, and winter. The female speaker in Raleighs poem questions what her role will be to him when they are no longer young and after the Spring is gone and Winter approaches. Raleigh uses the same pastoral imagery to retort back to Marlowe, essentially asking him what will happen after the immediacy he speaks of has passed.
Marlowe is ever-focused on the present in his attempt to persuade his lady over to his mode of thought. He attempts to entice her with beautiful language and objects which are indigenous with things ladies love. And I will make thee beds of roses / With a thousand fragrant posies, / A cap of flowers, and a kirtle / Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle; (Marlowe 583). It can be clearly seen that Marlowe is focused only on the current season and not thinking ahead whatsoever. He attempts to entice his lady with beautiful language and flowers, but flowers wilt and die, what will his lady sleep on when her bed of roses (Marlowe 583) has become victim to the ending of the season? Raleigh in the forthcoming exert uses the same beautiful language as did Marlowe, but we receive a different message from the same words as will be seen. Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses, / Thy cap, thy kirtly, and thy posies, / Soon break, soon winter, soon forgotten: / In folly ripe, in reason rotten (Raleigh 584-585). We get a much different feel for what Raleigh is trying to convey, he being quite cynical of Marlowes idealistic proposal. It is interesting how the same beautiful flowery language used conveys such an adverse message. The last line quoted gets right at what Raleigh is leading up to until now, his character recognizes that she isnt wanted for anything more than Miss Right Now and responds to Marlowes proposal by telling him his reason is rotten; how appropriate.
Moving forward, Marlowe is up to the same tricks, 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 584). Still relying on the romanticized pastoral imagery to woo his lady, he entreats her to come, and to come NOW, there is no time to ponder his proposal, it is May, and this is the only season recognized by Marlowe. There is no mention of old age, which reinforces Marlowes persistence for immediacy. Raleigh of course has a different outlook on Marlowes proposal. But could youth last, and love still breed, / Had joys no date, nor age no need, / Then these delights my mind might move, / To live with thee and be thy love. Raleigh 585). Raleigh addresses time and its relationship to the love spoken of by Marlowe. Marlowe paints an unrealistic portrayal of love, youthful love, which as is knows doesnt last, people grow old, and love rarely remains young, it matures as to the people in love. Raleigh responds to Marlowe by saying the if all he had spoken were true; if Spring were the only season and if people didnt age, his idea may work. However, that is not so, as time moves forward, people grow older; and seasons change and mature as does everything in the world.
Marlowes impure intentions were uncovered by Raleighs clever use of Marlowes own imagery. Raleigh makes a convincing argument that idealistic visions of youth and a never-ending spring are unattainable and questions the desirability of it. The constant focus on immediacy as depicted by Marlowe is ever-present as well as idealistic. Raleigh manipulates Marlowes pastoral imagery and flowery language to make what sounded so sweet and inviting when presented by Marlowe to be the cause of nausea when repeated by Raleigh.
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