A Nuptial Verse to Mistress Elizabeth Lee, Now Lady Tracy by Robert Herrick

Song Meaning

This verse paints a vivid picture of a bride, Elizabeth Lee, being urged to hasten her wedding. The speaker, likely a friend or observer, uses the imagery of spring and the rising sun to emphasize the lateness of the hour and the eagerness of the groom. The tone is one of playful impatience, a gentle nudge towards fulfilling the day's promise. The lyrics capture the anticipation of a significant life event, framing it with natural cycles and celestial observation. The central tension lies in the bride's perceived slowness versus the swiftness expected of a wedding day. The speaker insists, "Fie, lovely maid! indeed you are too slow," contrasting the urgency of "Love should run, not go." This creates a dynamic where the natural progression of love and marriage is being momentarily held back, prompting the call for immediate action. The day itself is presented as a crucial, active participant, with the sun "Corals his cheek to see those rites not done." The most striking craft element is the extended metaphor of the wedding night as a "fight" and a "field" of "wars." This is not a violent conflict, however, but a playful, intimate struggle. The "arm'd, but such an easy foe" suggests the groom's readiness and the bride's eventual, willing surrender. The "kisses must outvie the stars" and the final image of being "Drown'd in the blood of rubies" transform the potential conflict into a scene of passionate, overwhelming pleasure, where both are "vanquished" in a shared, blissful defeat. These lyrics are effective because they blend traditional celebratory language with a surprisingly sensual and active depiction of marital consummation. The shift from the public rites to the private "fight" is handled with a witty, almost cheeky energy. By framing the wedding night as a delightful battle where surrender leads to ultimate victory and pleasure, the verse creates a memorable and evocative image of love's culmination, and lust's, triumphant culmination.