George Herbert: Vertue

Ø  Born in Welsh

Ø  Studied at Trinity College, Cambridge

Ø  In 1629, Herbert entered the priesthood at Bemerton, near Salisbury in Wiltshire,

Ø  Herbert wrote poetry in English, Latin and Greek.

Ø  Herbert’s only prose work, A Priest to the Temple (also known as The Country Parson)

Ø  Herbert was a collector of proverbs: Outlandish Proverbs

Ø  He also set his poems to music

Ø  Herbert wrote during the last three years of his life: The Temple: a collection of his poems, where ‘Virtue’ is taken from

Ø  His patterned poems (The Altar and Easter Wings) use shape as a visual reinforcement of meaning, making him a precursor to later poets experimenting with form.

Ø  His musical compositions highlight his belief in the harmony between poetry and devotion.

Related Poem Content Details

By George Herbert

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,

The bridal of the earth and sky;

The dew shall weep thy fall to-night,

For thou must die.

Sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave

Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye;

Thy root is ever in its grave,

And thou must die.

Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses,

A box where sweets compacted lie;

My music shows ye have your closes,

And all must die.

Only a sweet and virtuous soul,

Like season’d timber, never gives;

But though the whole world turn to coal,

Then chiefly lives.

The rhyme schemes from the first three stanzas remain consistent with an abab, cbcb, dbdb pattern. However, there is a marked difference in the fourth stanza where the rhyme scheme deviates to an “efef” pattern.

George Herbert’s poem Virtue is a meditation on the fleeting nature of earthly beauty and the enduring quality of virtue. The poem presents three images of transient beauty—day, flower (rose), and spring—each of which is destined to decay, yet each carries a subtle promise of renewal.

Decay and Hope in the Three Images

1.     Day – The poem begins with a description of a “sweet day” that is “cool, calm, and bright.” This image suggests harmony and beauty, yet the inevitable fall of night reminds us that even the most serene moments must pass. The dew weeping at nightfall symbolizes sorrow at the loss of beauty, but also suggests a cycle—moisture returns, nourishing the earth for another day.

2.     Rose – The rose is described as “angry and brave,” which connects it to emotions like passion, intensity, and even recklessness. The “rash gazer” who is moved to tears by its beauty may be called rash because he is overwhelmed by fleeting pleasure, or because he fails to recognize that the rose’s root is already buried in the grave. However, this burial also hints at resurrection—roses bloom again in the next spring.

3.     Spring – The third stanza condenses the previous images into a “box where sweets compacted lie.” This metaphor suggests that all beauty is contained within spring, yet even spring must come to an end. The phrase “closes” refers to musical cadences, reinforcing the idea of finality. However, the cyclical nature of seasons implies renewal—spring will return.

Virtue as the Enduring Element

While the first three stanzas emphasize the inevitable decay of earthly beauty, the final stanza introduces the virtuous soul, which stands apart from this cycle. Unlike the day, rose, and spring, the virtuous soul does not perish but remains strong, like “season’d timber.” The word “sweet” is repeated in describing the soul, linking it to the earlier images of beauty. This suggests that virtue is not separate from beauty but rather its perfected, eternal form.

Herbert’s poem, therefore, does not merely lament the passing of earthly beauty—it offers hope. Decay is not the end, but part of a larger cycle that hints at renewal, resurrection, and the lasting power of virtue.

A.    It truly transcends the physical and tries to reach the metaphysical—from the natural and physical to the spiritual and divine

2.     How can the images selected by Herbert be called?

A.     Archetypal

B.     Religious

C.    Secular

D.    Natural

3.     How are the images used in the poem connected to the theme?

A.    Herbert has chosen objects with recurring patterns: one day leads into the next, flowers return in season, spring comes again after winter

4.     What is the central conflict in the poem?

A.    The desire to experience worldly pleasures and the need to surrender to the will of God. [rebellion and obedience]

5.     “The bridal of the earth and sky” How does the poet make the comparison?

A.    With the arrival of the sun/light the earth is filled with light and warmth as if they are in a kind of matrimonial relation

6.     “For thou must die” The line in the three stanzas echo:

A.    Biblical language

7.     What is the meaning of ‘angrie’?

A.    Red in colour symbolizing anger [Passions associated with the color red.

8.     “Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye”. What is the implication here?

A.    The bright colour of the rose dazzles the eyes of the observer.

9.     “They root is ever in its grave” What do the words ‘root’ and ‘grave’ suggest?

A.    Power and death

10.   “A box where sweets compacted lie/ My music shows ye have your closes” What is the figure of speech in the word ‘closes’?

A.    Pun [as a box can be closed, a musical movement can also be closed]

11.     “Closes” refers to

A.    To musical cadences, the typical patterns by which a piece is brought to an end.

12.    Does the poem offer a carpe diem theme?

A.    Yes, but here the carpe diem has been used for a religious purpose

13.    The poet offers

A.    A conflict between a virtuous and  a vile soul

B.     A conflict between time and beauty

C.    A conflict between religion and literature

D.    A conflict between rose and timber