Study Guide: Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote her Name by Edmund Spenser

Introduction: This study guide provides an in-depth analysis of Edmund Spenser's poem "Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote her Name." The guide explores the poem's meaning and significance, delving into themes of love, mortality, and the power of poetry. It offers an explanation of the poem, identifies major themes, presents six key facts about the poet, and provides a critical analysis of the poem's structure, language, sound devices, and literary devices. Additionally, the guide examines the attitudes and feelings expressed in the poem and suggests similar poems that share thematic connections with "Amoretti LXXV." Through this study guide, readers can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Spenser's exploration of love's enduring legacy.

Poem Text

One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
"Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay,
A mortal thing so to immortalize;
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wiped out likewise."
"Not so," (quod I) "let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your vertues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name:
Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew."

Summary

Poem: The poem tells the story of the speaker's attempt to immortalize his beloved's name on the strand. However, the waves wash it away each time he writes it. The beloved admonishes the speaker, questioning his attempt to immortalize something mortal. She states that she, like her name, will eventually decay and be forgotten. The speaker responds by asserting that his verses will ensure her fame and preserve her rare virtues. He believes that their love will transcend death and be renewed in the afterlife.

Major Themes in Detail

Love and Mortality: The poem explores the themes of love and mortality. It contemplates the fleeting nature of life and the transient existence of human beings. The speaker's desire to immortalize his beloved's name reflects the human longing for permanence and the struggle against the inevitability of death.

The Power of Poetry: The poem emphasizes the power of poetry to transcend the limitations of mortal existence. The speaker believes that through his verses, he can ensure the eternal fame of his beloved and preserve her virtues for future generations. It showcases the transformative and enduring potential of art and literature.

Edmund Spenser

1. Edmund Spenser (1552/1553-1599) was an English poet and author.
2. He is best known for his epic poem "The Faerie Queene," which is considered one of the greatest achievements of English literature.
3. Spenser was associated with the Elizabethan literary movement and was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.
4. He held various government positions, including serving as the Secretary to the Lord Deputy of Ireland.
5. Spenser's poetry often explores themes of love, beauty, morality, and religious allegory.
6. He is known for his innovative use of language and poetic techniques, contributing to the development of the Spenserian stanza.

Critical Analysis

Analysis: The poem employs a simple narrative structure to convey profound themes. It highlights the tension between the desire for immortality and the inevitability of decay. The language is eloquent and poetic, drawing attention to the power of words in preserving memory. The structure of the poem, without defined stanzas, mirrors the continuous flow of time and the fleeting nature of human existence. Sound devices, such as alliteration and internal rhyme, enhance the musicality of the poem. The use of symbols, such as the waves and the fading name, adds depth and complexity to the poem's meaning.

The poem "Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote her Name" by Edmund Spenser explores the theme of love's struggle against mortality. Through the depiction of the speaker's attempt to immortalize his beloved's name, the poem raises questions about the transience of life and the power of poetry to transcend it. The poem's structure, language, and use of literary devices contribute to its profound impact. It captures the essence of human longing for permanence and the transformative potential of art, ultimately suggesting that love and poetry can conquer the limitations of mortal existence.

Symbols

• The waves: Symbolize the transient nature of life and the erasure of human endeavors.
• The fading name: Represents the inevitability of decay and the impermanence of human existence.

Language

• Eloquent and poetic language: Enhances the emotional impact of the poem and emphasizes the power of words.

Structure

• Lack of stanza form: Mirrors the continuous flow of time and the fleeting nature of human life.

Sound devices

• Alliteration: Creates musicality and rhythm within the poem.
• Internal rhyme: Adds a melodic quality to the lines.

Other Literary Devices

• Metaphor: The waves and the fading name serve as metaphors for the passage of time and the impermanence of human existence.

Attitudes/Feelings

• Longing for immortality: The speaker's attempt to immortalize his beloved's name reflects a deep yearning for permanence.
• Resilience in the face of decay: The speaker asserts the enduring power of his verses and the eternal nature of their love.
• Skepticism and acceptance of mortality: The beloved acknowledges the futility of trying to immortalize the mortal but expresses acceptance of the transient nature of life.

Similar Poems

• "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare: Both poems explore the theme of immortality through poetry and the preservation of beauty beyond death.
• "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats: Both poems contemplate the limitations of human existence and the desire to transcend mortality through art and beauty.