The Poem

Vertue

By George Herbert

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridall of the earth and skie:
The dew shall weep thy fall to-night;
For thou must die.

Sweet rose, whose hue angrie 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 dayes and roses,

A box where sweets compacted lie,
My musick shows ye have your closes,
And all must die.

Onely a sweet and vertuous soul,

Like season’d timber, never gives;
But though the whole world turn to coal,
Then chiefly lives.

The Message

“Vertue”, modernly referred to as ‘Virtue’, is a deceptive poem. Although it is, to an extent,

about the importance of virtue, it spends a lot of time considering death and the temporarily

of the physical world. The first three stanzas don’t actually consider the concept of virtue at

all. Instead, they describe how all things and, in particular, nature, are shadowed by the

constant presence of death. Then, in the final stanza, Herbert suggests that the only thing

not to be limited by death is the virtuous soul. Such religious individuals are made eternal

through their relationship with God.

The Analysis

Metre & Structure

This poem is written in a very constant iambic tetrameter that only deviates from this rhythm

a few times, including the switch to iambic dimeter at the end of each stanza. These shorter
lines arguably emphasise the theme of death in this poem as the long lines are brought to a

short, abrupt halt. There is also the occasional switch to trochaic meter in this poem that

helps emphasise certain words and lines.

The rhyme pattern in this poem is even more constant. It is made up of alternating rhymes,

yet its more interesting feature is the repeated rhyme for “skie”, made throughout the various

stanzas. This emphasises the “die”, making it sound more effective, and also making its

absence in the final stanza all the more noticeable. There are also a lot of oppositions in this

poem that can be linked through their rhymes. For example, “bright” rhymes with “night”, an

opposite that emphasises the sense of darkening and growing loss and sadness as the

poem progresses.

Line by Line

 “Sweet”, “so” – The constant sibilance in this poem is emphasised through the repeated

word, “Sweet”. This sibilance creates a relaxed, melancholy tone.

 “The bridall of the earth and skie” – This allusion to marriage relates to the sense of

harmony within the poem. At the same time, however, it indicates a link between “earth” and

“skie” that is indicative of death. The “earth” represents the mortal human world while the “skie”

indicates the Christian heaven that Herbert, as a devout Christian and priest, valued.

 “The dew shall weep” – The personification here indicates the power of nature as well as

emphasising the poem’s sense of melancholy.

 “Thy fall” – This alludes not only to a physical fall or even a death, but also to humankind’s

Fall through the Original Sin and thus suggests that Herbert’s audience has committed a sin – as if

they are somehow at fault.

 “To-night” – The plentitude of natural imagery in this opening stanza hints towards the

sublime (the idea of being overwhelmed and overpowered by nature). The darkness of night gives

a similar impression of powerlessness.

 “For thou must die” / “And thou must die” / “And all must die” – There is a sense of an

imperative command within this final, rather ominous line of the stanza. It is almost as though

Herbert is telling his audience that they have no choice but to die. This point is emphasised by the

abrupt nature of the monosyllabic “die”, as well as by the shorter line that forms the conclusion to

this stanza. The repetition of this line throughout the poem reminds us that death is a constant
 theme, overshadowing the natural beauty Herbert describes. It also progresses from “thou must

die” to “all must die”, this progression revealing the power of death.

 “Angrie and brave” – The harsh sounds and meanings of these words contradict with the

relaxed, melancholy tone of the poem. This indicates a change of the poem’s mood as its relaxed

tone becomes more aggressive.

 “Bids” – The change of tone in the poem is emphasised by this plosive “Bids” which also

causes a break in the iambic meter (it momentarily switches to a trochaic meter at the start of this

line).

 “Rash” – This again hints to the theme of sin as Herbert suggests that his audience is

somehow at fault for staring at the “rose”. This is perhaps due to their ignorance as they didn’t

expect to find any “angrie” tones within the natural world that is ordinarily associated, as in the

first stanza, with peace and tranquility.

 “Root” / “Grave” – This earthly imagery emphasises the theme of death and suggests that

the reason the “rose” is “angrie” is because the natural peace of nature is continually disturbed by

the knowledge that its beauty is only temporary; the “rose”, like humanity, “must die”.

 “A box” – This “box” may indicate a collection of flowers, yet it also alludes to coffins and

death; in this poem, the positives are always shadowed by the ominous and constant presence of

death.

 “Sweets compacted lie” – Again, “compacted” may allude to the beauty of flowers all

growing close together, yet it may also be a reference to the multitude of dead flowers nourishing

the ground from which they grow. In the same way, “lie” may refer to the physical action of lying

down, or to deception, and thus also the double meanings alluded to throughout this poem.

 “Musick” – This probably alludes to Herbert’s own poetry but also indicates the beauty that

is at least conveyed on the surface of this poem. It is also possible that the “box” from the

previous line may be referring to a music box, which highlights this sense of beauty through its

connection to a melodic charm.

 “A sweet and vertuous soul” – Like the natural world, the soul Herbert considers is “sweet”.

Yet what separates it from the temporality of nature is that it is “vertuous”. This is Herbert’s main

point as he finally refers to the poem’s title.

 “Season’d timber” – Nature is again being presented as temporary, yet here it

is made temporary through purposeful destruction. The wood is not dying naturally, but being

converted to timber, cut down by human hands for the sake of industry.

 “The whole world turns to coal” – This again hints towards humankind’s purposeful

destruction of nature. Herbert thus emphasises a political message within this poem as industry is

polarised to virtue. This presents it as in some way immoral, which comes back to the “angrie”

references made earlier. Herbert may be indicating that he does not agree with this destruction of

nature, perhaps due to the Christian concept of human stewardship over nature.

 “Then chiefly lives” – It is only really in this final line that the primary message of this poem

is conveyed. Herbert is saying that whilst most things, such as the average person and much of the

natural world, are temporary, the virtuous person will live forever through their connection to God

and the idea of an afterlife.

Analysis by another persion

Lines 1-4
Herbert begins "Virtue" with an apostrophe, or invocation. That is, here, he starts with a direct
rhetorical address to a personified thing: as if speaking to the day, the narrator says, "Sweet day"
and then characterizes the day as "cool," "calm," and "bright." Thus, for one noun, "day," he
provides four adjectives. The rest of the line is made up of the adverbial "so," signifying intensity,
repeated three times. Herbert is presenting a fairly generic image, without any action, as no verb
appears among these eight words. Nor can a verb be found in the next line, which is a kind of
appositive, or a noun phrase placed beside the noun that it describes. "The bridal of the earth and
sky," which describes the "day," indicates no action, instead merely illustrating and amplifying the
conditions depicted in the first line. That is, the "sweet day" is the bridal — the marriage,
conjunction, or union — of the earth and the sky. In sum, Herbert presents a serene yet invigorating
day and locates the reader in the celestial and terrestrial realms simultaneously, for the day in its
loveliness brings them together.
Day, however, gives way to night, just as life gives way to death: "The dew shall weep thy fall
tonight," the narrator asserts, turning a daily natural event, nightfall, into a metaphor. Beyond
death, the line also suggests grief at the loss of paradise on Earth, the Fall, which is the original cause
of death in the Judeo-Christian story of the Creation. The evening dew, invested with emotion and
made to represent grief, is equated with tears, which are shed at nightfall over the Fall, the sin that
brought death into the world.
Lines 5-8
In beginning the second quatrain with the word "sweet," Herbert continues to connect the beauty of
nature with impermanence, as any "sweet" thing must, over time, lose its sweetness. Like the day,
the rose is an emblem of earthly splendor. It is "sweet" like the day, saturated with color, and graced
with magnificence. (Angry and brave are complex words in Herbert's usage, as aspects of their
meanings have all but passed from English. Angry, in the seventeenth century, could signify
"inflamed," while brave could signify "having a fine or splendid appearance." The suggestions of
wrath and courage carried by these words also reinforce the rose's magnificence, as it is
characterized thus as standing knowingly in the prospect of doom.) So magnificent is the rose that
Herbert calls one who looks at it a "rash gazer." Here, "rash" suggests a lack of necessary caution in
taking in a sight so dazzling that the gazer is moved to "wipe," or rub, "his eye," as one does in
wonder. Also, a warning may be understood to be present in the word "rash": one who beholds the
rose is in danger of desiring its seductive but transitory beauty over the sweetness of what endures
in eternity, the soul itself.
As with the day, so with the rose: despite its living splendor, death awaits. "Thy root," buried in the
earth, as it must be if the rose is to flourish, "is ever in its grave." Thus, life and death are entwined,
and death is an ever-present aspect of life. Indeed, by emphasizing the common ground shared by
the root, the source of life, and the grave, the receptacle for death, Herbert evokes two Christian
lessons: first, that life contains elements of death and must inevitably give way to death and, second,
that death is not finality but part of the continuum of existence. In awareness of death, one realizes
the true meaning and purpose of life and will thus prepare his or her soul, through the exercise of
virtue, for eternity.
Lines 9-12
The word "sweet" begins the third quatrain as well, now describing the spring, which is subsequently
characterized as "full of sweet days and roses." As such, the delights presented in the first two
quatrains are contained in the third, and the narrator solidifies his suggestion of the earth's rich
bounty. In the second line of the quatrain, spring is likened to "a box where sweets compacted lie."
Then, as in the previous quatrains, the third line iterates the transience of earthly delights: "My
music shows ye have your closes." Through this line, the narrator offers the poem itself as proof of
his argument regarding the impermanence of things. By "my music," the narrator refers to the very
verse being read, this poem. "Close" is a technical term in music indicating the resolution of a
musical phrase. Thus, the poetic verse, like everything else the narrator has so far depicted, must
come to an end, as it temporarily does with the four stressed and conclusive beats of the twelfth
line: "And all must die."
Lines 13-16
Breaking the pattern established in the previous three quatrains, the final quatrain begins not with
the word "sweet" but with a limiting expression: "Only a." The reader has been told that the "sweet
day," the "sweet rose," and the "sweet spring" all "must die." In contrast to them is the soul: "Only a
sweet and virtuous soul / never gives." "Sweet" is no longer used to denote an aesthetic quality, nor
is the word sufficient to stand alone anymore; in fact, in being yoked with "virtuous," it is invested
with a moral and spiritual dimension. The soul that is sweet and virtuous, unlike the spring, the rose,
and the day, "never gives," that is, it never gives way to death, instead ever enduring. Such a sweet
soul, disciplined by virtue like wood that has been seasoned, is fully strengthened. Lumber that has
been seasoned, aged, and dried is more suitable for use in construction than is fresh lumber;
"seasoned timber" is sturdy and enduring. The conflagration suggested in line 15 by the image of
"the whole world turn[ing] to coal" alludes to chapter 3, verse 10, of 2 Peter, in the New Testament,
where Peter speaks of "the day of the Lord," the judgment day when "the elements shall melt with
fervent heat" and "the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
Thus, the first three quatrains present images of earthly beauty, but each ends with the word "die."
The last quatrain presents images of an eternal soul and of a conflagration that turns the whole
world, except that virtuous soul, to blackened coal, and its last line ends with the word "live." As
such, the entire poem, which all along warned of death, shows the way in which Herbert believes
that he and his readers may achieve eternal life: by shunning transient glory and humbly embracing
virtue
Description: x Transience of Earthly Beauty
Repeatedly, throughout the sixteen lines of "Virtue," Herbert asserts beauty's transitory nature. His
warning is not that people themselves must die but that the things that delight people while they
are alive must pass away. The word "thou," repeated in the last line of each of the first three
stanzas, serves as an address to each of the day, the rose, and the spring. The word does not refer to
the poet himself or to the reader, even if one hears associative and suggestive echoes in those
directions. Consequently, Herbert's poem does not assume the character of a threat. It serves,
rather, as an instrument devised to wean both poet and reader off dependence on the visible world
for joy and spiritual nourishment in order to redirect both poet and reader to the inner cultivation of
virtue.
The Interconnection of Life and Death
Besides expressing the impermanence of natural phenomena in "Virtue," Herbert also reveals the
interconnection of the realms of life and death. The earth, which represents impermanence, and the
sky, which represents eternity, are joined (by the day) in union in the second line of the poem.
Similarly, the seventh line shows that a root, a source of life, and a grave, a tomb for life, share the
earth as a common location. In the Christian story, Jesus's temporary journey into earthly death
assures humankind of the existence of a way into eternal life