Literary Analysis Of George Herbert's 'Virtue'

At first glance, the poem “Virtue” by George Herbert speaks about the issue of mortality, fragility, and inevitability of the end of everything. In fact, the first three strophes speak about these themes by using the images of the day (in the first verse), the rose (in the second verse), and the spring (in the third verse). All of the things that are mentioned above are loved by people, and they wish these things lasted forever; but the way of the world is that the day is changed by night, the rose decays, and the spring ends. The purpose of the poem, however, is not to inspire nihilistic or decadent thoughts about the inevitability of the end or death, but to show the Christian concept of soul that is immortal and can exist in never ending

The image of the day appears in the first verse. In the first two lines, the day is characterized as something good and pleasurable because it is called sweet, cool, calm, and bright. Moreover, the day is said to be like the marriage of the earth and the sky. After that, the third line hints about the inevitable end of the day by saying that the dew will cry because the day has ended. Then the fourth line finishes the verse by hyperbolizing the end of the day and comparing it to the day’s death.

The image of the second verse is the rose. In the first line, the author uses the repetition calling the rose “sweet” as the day was called in the previous verse. After that, the author gives the characterization of the rose’s red color, which is associated with anger and courage. The rose is told to be so bright that its light may cause the tears of those who look at it. Despite the fact that the rose is beaming its vitality, in the third line the author says that its roots are already in the grave. And the ending line of this verse repeats the ending line of the first