Ralegh, Sir Walter- Death In Poems Essay, Research Paper

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The poems of Sir Walter Ralegh often deal with the issue of death and

mortality. In some cases he directly deals with the issue, and others he uses

vast metaphors in order to convey his message. For the most part, Ralegh takes

a very bleak position on the issues of death and aging, but in some cases he

takes a more optimistic view. Ralegh is said to have been a man who was a

historian, soldier, courtier, philosopher, explorer, and of course a poet. The

fact that he spent the last years of his life in a prison and was then executed

for false charges of treason suggest that he knew the potential dangers of his

activities and made a conscious decision to live the way he did. It is clear

from his work that Ralegh did not know exactly what to think about the issue of

death, and that he spent a great deal of time thinking it over. The result of

this pressing question in Ralegh?s mind is a collection of poetry that covers

the subject from several different perspectives.

In Ralegh?s short poem ?On the life of Man?, he (as the title suggest)

reflects on the meaning of human life. Ralegh makes the analogy of life being

like a production on a stage. He compares the time spent in a mother?s womb

to

being like that of time spent in a dressing room where we prepare for what he

calls a comedy. He gives no suggestion of any set structure in the comedy, but

states quite clearly that heaven is watching and will be judging. He goes on to

compare graves to drawn curtains. This is a very pervolant idea in American

society where there is a cliche of the term ?curtains? for meaning the end or

death. This particular poem is not very optimistic simply because there is

nothing in it to suggest that life has any profound or special meaning which is

something that people want to believe. Ralegh concludes this poem with the

line: ?Only we die in earnest, that?s no jest.? From this it can be assumed

that he thinks of his life a a comic time which should be enjoyed except for

the end which is not funny at all.

In Raliegh?s poem ?The Lie?, he also deals with the subject of

mortality. The first line of this poem is ?Go, soul, the body?s guest?. It is

clear that he sees the soul as a separate being from one?s physical body. In

this scenario the body is simply the host of the soul, and it will leave upon

the expiration of life. In this poem Ralegh is sending his soul on a mission to

tell all of the people of the world that they are living a complete

contradiction. He lists all kinds of things that he claims are not what they

seem. There are lines like ?tell flesh it is but dust?, and ?tell nature of

decay?. Basically he is commissioning his soul to go and tell the world what he

feels that it needs to hear, and the soul is the perfect messenger because it

can not be harmed. This is clearly his intent, and this is evident from the

last four lines of the poem which read:

Although to give the lie

deserves no less that stabbing-

Stab at thee he that will,

No stab the soul can kill.

This quote clearly shows the power and virtue of a soul. There are

contradictions in this poem. On one hand it has a very bleak outlook on life,

and suggests that humans are inherently immoral, but at the same time it

touches on the sorrow and loss in the event of death. All the while the soul

which is now free and untouchable is sent to be the bearer of bad tidings. This

poem can be interpreted in more than one way, but there can be no doubt that

Ralegh believed that death meant the soul could move on to better things which

is not a pessimistic attitude.

In Ralegh?s poem ?Nature, That Washed Her Hands in Milk?, he shows a

much more negative sentiment towards the life cycle. He concludes this poem

with the lines:

Oh, cruel time! which takes in trust

Our youth, our joys, and all we have,

And pays us but with age and dust;

Who in the dark and silent grave

When we have wandered all our ways

Shuts up the story of our days.

In this passage he is condemning time for having no regard for man. He blames

its passage for the aging process. He suggest that it should give something in

return for what it takes. He is overlooking the obvious which is the fact that

time is not cruel, but rather indifferent to life. It passes consistently and

disrespectfully with absolutely no regard to the human condition. He also

blames time for making people forget the lives we live which is some people?s

greatest fear. This passage offers little in the way of hope or comfort to

people, and seems to dote on the negative aspects of life.

In contrast to this poem?s negative nature, Ralegh?s poem ?The

Passionate Man?s Pilgrimage?. This entire 59 line poem is dedicated to the

idea

of passage from life to death. In this poem Ralegh magically captures his idea

of the nature of heaven. His basic idea is similar to all of the glorious ideas

of what society pictures heaven to be. His description includes fine cloths,

gold and diamonds in the streets, happiness with good friends, and an overall

feel of goodness and peace. After this extended description of heaven he

states:

Seeing my flesh must die so soone,

And want a head to dine next noone,

Just as the stroke when my vaines start and spred

Set my soul on an everlasting head.

From this line it can be taken to mean that he feels that as long as he is

permitted to go to this place which he has described that he has absoultly no

problem with death what so ever. Since death is unavoidable, this is a fine

attitude to take about the subject. He evidently has come to terms with his own

mortality, and is prepared to take the next step.

Ralegh?s poetry varies quite a bit when it comes to the subject of

mortality. Is some cases he shows spite and bitterness towards the ever

encroaching aspect of time. He seems to feel robbed and cheated by his rapidly

shortening amount of time in the world. On the other hand, much of his work

takes a great deal of solace in the fact that the eternal soul moves on to a

better place upon the conclusion of life. Ralegh clearly did not feel that he

had all of the answers when it comes to the transition from life to death. It

was a subject that occupied a great deal of his poetry, and most likely his

thoughts. It is evident from his work that Ralegh was a man who believed that

there was something beyond death, and this is the idea he embraced and

glorified in his poems.