[477] Fear no more the heat o' the sun

Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan;
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.

 No exorciser harm thee!
 Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
 Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
 Nothing ill come near thee!
 Quiet consummation have;
 And renownéd be thy grave!

	-- William Shakespeare

from Cymbeline, Act IV, Scene 2.
lines spoken by Guiderius and Arviragus [1].

Over two months since we visited the Bard - this just will not do.

... that said, there's not a whole lot I can profitably write about old Will
that hasn't already been written... [2].

I guess what I like about today's poem - actually, it's an extract from one of
the plays, but (like many such extracts) it forms a perfectly good poem in its
own right - is the assuredness of the verse. The opening couplet:
	"Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
	 Nor the furious winter's rages;"
is wonderful in its simplicity and strength (and deserving of its place in every
dictionary of Shakespearean quotations ever compiled). The rest of the poem is
equally dignified and stately, yet never fails to move me emotionally.

The theme (like that of much of Shakespeare's work) is Time and Death - 'Fear No
More' is, after all, a funeral oration of sorts - yet the impression I get is
not one of mourning, nor even sadness; rather, the poem has an air of calm
repose and dignity (the word 'elegiac' springs to mind, except that it's not an
elegy <grin>). Death is not the thief of time, he is, instead, the purveyor of
eternal rest and quietude [3].

thomas.

PS. I also like the shift in metre in the final stanza - it serves to clearly
demarcate the coda, and lend it an air of finality. Again, a wonderful balance
of form, content and mood.

[1] gotta love those names!
[2] I would strongly recommend Harold Bloom's wonderful "Shakespeare: The
Invention of the Human" and A. C. Bradley's "Shakespearean Tragedy". Oh, and
previous instances of the Minstrels - check out
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/index_poet
[3] Keep in mind that Cymbeline was one of the last of Shakespeare's plays; it
was written (as far as we know) in 1609, just seven years before his demise.
(Also, see the Moreover section below).

[Links]

The text of Lamb's Cymbeline is here:
http://daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare/lambtales/LTCYM.HTM

[Moreover]

 "... 1608 also marks a change in tone in Shakespeare's work from the dark mood
of the tragedies to one of light, magic, music, reconciliation and romance.
Beginning with Pericles, Prince of Tyre (probably written 1607-8 -- the text of
which is certainly mangled, accounting for its not being played frequently), and
moving through Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale and finally in The Tempest
Shakespeare conducted a grand experiment in form and poetry that took advantage
of these elements, shaping them into an enduring art that has at its heart
acceptance and the beneficence of providence. "

	-- http://daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare/timeline/timeline.htm

From: steve <steve@>

reminded me very much of WH Audens's poem Stop all the clocks... already
featured on minstrels

[guest poem suggestion snipped]

From: "Richard Haywood" <richard_haywood@>

Anyone who has worked in Saudi Arabia will take this to sum up
everything they feel about the Magic Kingdom.

From: "John Francis" <j.francis10@>

In _Cymbeline_ this song is a funeral service, and it would serve admirably
at a graveside.

From: Acquends@

I've never actually read the play, but I read the first line of the 'poem' in 
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and find that the two go hand and hand very 
well.  Thought I'd put that out there if you hadn't already read the book.

From: "allay" <allay2002@>

i want analyse for this poem with compare between another poem from 17th
century

From: "Dave Goodman" <d.goodman@>

Try 'Vertue' by George Herbert - regular metric verse rhyme structure -
similar theme. last verse goes thus:- 'Only a sweet and virtuous soul,
                                 Like season'd timber, never gives,
                                 But, though the whole world turn to
coal,
                                 Then, chiefly lives.'