His Reply Poem by Gert Strydom

(after Christopher Marlowe, in answer to Sir Walter Raleigh)

I remember the days we were young
and your sweet name were on my tongue,
when opportunities and happiness were manifold
and both you and I acted bold,

where now in life we both enter the fall,
and your feelings to me matter more than all,
still at the right time the wheat is in the field,
still the vineyards their crops do yield

and by now my love I do not have to proof,
while little and great things do us to each other move.

{References: "The passionate shepherd to his love" by Christopher Marlow and "Her reply" by Sir Walter Raleigh.

I am quoting both of the mentioned beautiful poems here:


"The passionate shepherd to his love" by Christopher Marlow

"Come live with me, and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
The hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield."

"There we will sit upon the rocks,
And see the shepherds feed their flocks.
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals."

"And I will make the beds of roses
With a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves and 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."

"Thy silver dishes for the meat
As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be
Prepared each day for thee and me, "

"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."


"Her reply" by Sir Walter Raleigh

""If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love, "

"But time drives flocks from field to fold,
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold:
And Philomel becometh dumb:
The rest complain of cares to come, "

"The flowers fade and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields:
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancies spring, but sorrows fall, "

"Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses
Thy cap, thy kirtle, thy posies,
soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten, -
in folly ripe, in reason rotten."

"Thy belt of straw, thy ivy buds,
Thy coral claps, thy amber studs, -
All these in me no means can move
To comet to thee and be thy Love."

"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."]