Robert  Herrick  

n In  the  seventeenth  century,  words  some7mes  had  meanings,  connota7ons,  and  pronuncia7ons  different  from  those  they  have  today.  n The  word  “distrac7on”  is  pronounced  with  four  syllables  (thus  fiDng  the  rhythmic  scheme  more  accurately).  

n “Wantonness”  may  be  defined  in  this  context  in  two  ways:  playfulness  and  extravagance.  n  It  should  not  be  construed  as  lewdness  or  cruelty,  two  poten7al  denota7ons  that  the  context  denies  because  the  speaker  is  praising  the  kind  of  dress  that  aIracts  and  delights,  not  that  seduces  and  betrays.  

n Herrick  refers  to  the  following  items  of  clothing:  n lawn  =  a  shawl  n stomacher  =  the  center  front  sec7on  of  the  waist  or  underwaist  of  a  garment,  oKen  decorated  or  jeweled  

n as  well  as  lace,  cuff,  pe1coat,  and  shoestrings  

n To  recognize  the  careful  paIern  of  Herrick’s  poem  and  his  significant  departures—or  “distrac7ons”—from  it,  do  the  following:  

n Review  meter  on  page  839  n Review  rhyme,  especially  approximate  rhyme  on  page  821  

n Scan  the  poem.  n Mark  its  rhyme  scheme.  n What  slight  varia7ons  do  you  see  in  the  meter  and  the  rhyme  scheme?  n Why  are  these  here?  n Ironic?  

n  What  does  the  speaker  like  in  a  woman’s  dress?  Why?  n  What  is  implied  by  the  “disorder”  the  speaker  likes,  and  why  is  it  

“sweet”?  n  Why  is  the  distrac7on  “fine”?  n  What  is  the  effect  of  personifying  “erring  lace,”  “ribbons  [that]  flow  

confusedly,”  tempestuous  peDcoat,”  and  “careless  shoestring”?  n  Look  at  the  poem’s  closing  line.  Consider  further  the  reference  to  

“art”  when  it  is  “too  precise.”  n  How  does  this  line  create  a  commentary  on  the  rela7onship  between  

nature  and  art?  n  Consider  Herrick’s  opinion  of  such  precision,  look  again  at  the  slight  

varia7ons  in  the  meter  and  rhyme  scheme.  n  How  is  Herrick  ensuring  that  his  own  art  is  not  “too  precise”?  n  How  does  Herrick’s  planned  imprecision  create  a  paradox?  

n Robert  Herrick  was  strongly  influenced  by  the  work  of  Ben  Jonson,  whose  poem  “Clerimont’s  Song”  contrasts  charmingly  with  “Delight  in  Disorder.”  

n Write  a  short  essay  comparing  these  two  poems,  with  par7cular  aIen7on  to  dic7on  and  connota7on.