The Pearl
By George Herbert
MATTHEW-xiii
I know the ways of learning; both the head
And pipes that feed the press, and make it run;
What reason hath from nature borrowed,
Or of itself, like a good huswife, spun
In laws and policy; what the stars conspire,
What willing nature speaks, what forc’d by fire;
Both th’old discoveries and the new-found seas,
The stock and surplus, cause and history;
All these stand open, or I have the keys:
Yet I love thee.I know the ways of honour; what maintains
The quick returns of courtesy and wit;
In vies of favours whether party gains
When glory swells the heart and moldeth it
To all expressions both of hand and eye,
Which on the world a true-love-knot may tie,
And bear the bundle wheresoe’er it goes;
How many drams of spirit there must be
To sell my life unto my friends or foes:
Yet I love thee.I know the ways of pleasure; the sweet strains
The lullings and the relishes of it;
The propositions of hot blood and brains;
What mirth and music mean; what love and wit
Have done these twenty hundred years and more;
I know the projects of unbridled store;
My stuff is flesh, not brass; my senses live,
And grumble oft that they have more in me
Than he that curbs them, being but one to five:
Yet I love thee.I know all these and have them in my hand;
Therefore not seeled but with open eyes
I fly to thee, and fully understand
Both the main sale and the commodities;
And at what rate and price I have thy love,
With all the circumstances that may move.
Yet through the labyrinths, not my grovelling wit,
But thy silk twist let down from heav’n to me
Did both conduct and teach me how by it
To climb to thee.
Summary of The Pearl
- Popularity of “The Pearl”: “The Pearl” by George Herbert, is a highly seductive and universally recognized poetic piece. The poem first appeared in 1633 in his book, The Temple, along with several other such poems. The poetic uniqueness of this piece rests on the thematic strands that the poet has inserted in each of its ten-lined stanzas. These thematic strands include learning, honor, pleasure, and inclusivity.
- “The Pearl” As a Representative of Inclusivity: With the epigraphic writing of Matthew 13-45, Herbert has assumed that the readers of his poem are Christians and that they know the Bible very much. Therefore, his borrowing of title rests on this epigraphic biblical quote. The preciousness of the pearl gets its reflection from the abstractions discussed in the poem. Although it seems that the poem is about relations, it includes inclusivity of these abstractions. The very first stanza speaks about knowledge and learning as Herbert argues that he knows how knowledge comes and spreads with complete reasons of how nature formulates policies and laws like a housewife. He also knows how the stars appear and conspire, how discoveries are made and history is written. He states that he knows or they have been uncovered before him. Similarly, he also knows how to win honor and glory through wit, discursive power, and even relations where he has a chance to save his life. He also speaks about pleasure, lullabies, enjoyments, love, thoughts, and his beloved saying that he understands commerce, commodification, and situations where he can find silk to reach his beloved.
- Major Themes in “The Pearl”: Knowledge, honor, pleasure, love, and worldly wisdom are four major thematic strands of this poem. The poet beautifully sums up each of these themes in each stanza of his poem and then goes for inclusivity in the last stanza to make his beloved realize that he loves her and would turn to her come what may. This beloved maybe God in a mystic sense but the poem is open to interpretations. Whereas the first stanza debates learning, its ways, and his expertise, he discusses the honor and its requirements in the second and then pleasure, its enjoyments, and its limitations in the third stanza to revert to the last one to tell his beloved that whatever the case is he comes to her.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Pearl”
literary devices are integral parts of literary writings. The analysis of these devices in the poem as given below shows this fact.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “And pipes that feed the press, and make it run”, /o/ in “Or of itself, like a good huswife, spun” and the sound of /e/ in “All these stand open, or I have the keys.”
- Alliteration: It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words such as /w/ in “What willing”, or /b/ in “being but” or /m/ in “may move.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ and /w/ in “In laws and policy; what the stars conspire”, /t/ and /k/ in “The quick returns of courtesy and wit,” and the sound of /l/ “The lullings and the relishes of it.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
But thy silk twist let down from heav’n to me
Did both conduct and teach me how by it
To climb to thee:
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “What willing nature speaks, what forc’d by fire”, “The propositions of hot blood and brains;” and “My stuff is flesh not brass.”
- Juxtaposition: The poem shows the juxtaposition of opposite ideas at several places such as “hot blood and brains” and “flesh, not brass.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows metaphors such as pipes, press, reason, stars, glory, and expressions.
- Personification: The poet has used personifications of glory, nature, fire, and stars as if they have life and emotions of their own.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of natural elements such as fire and star.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Pearl”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows the use of highly figurative language.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABABCCDEDE rhyme scheme in each of its stanzas.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem with each having total of ten verses.
- Refrain: The poem shows the use of the refrain as every stanza witnesses the repetition of “Yet I love thee.”
- Repetition: The poem shows the use of repetition in the first line of each stanza such as “I know the ways of…”
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “The Pearl” are relevant to deliver a lecture on knowledge and education.
I know the ways of learning; both the head
And pipes that feed the press, and make it run;
What reason hath from nature borrowed
