The Parting by Michael Drayton

Since there 's no help, come let us kiss and part—

Nay, I have done, you get no more of me;

And I am glad, yea, glad with all my heart,

That thus so cleanly I myself can free.

Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows,

And when we meet at any time again,

Be it not seen in either of our brows

That we one jot of former love retain.

Now at the last gasp of Love's latest breath,

When, his pulse failing, Passion speechless lies,

When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death,

And Innocence is closing up his eyes,

    —Now if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,

    From death to life thou might'st him yet recover.

 

Introduction

Michael Drayton was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, having been born in 1563, a year before Shakespeare. Drayton's Poetry is rarely read nowadays, despite the fact that he wrote a large number of poems, including a long verse travelogue about England. With the notable exception of one sonnet, beginning 'Since there's no help, come let us kiss and part,' which has been widely anthologized and is reasonably well-known. The poem is skilled enough to make A closer examination of its language would be both rewarding and useful. Michael Drayton's 'Since there's no help' is sonnet number 61 in Drayton's Idea's Mirror (1594) collection, which contains 63 sonnets in total. Drayton's sonnet sequences are about his attempts to woo a lady, most likely his patron's daughter.

The poem explores themes such as love, passion, faith, and innocence. The sad and tender love of a true love for an unresponsive lady love is Drayton's theme. It conveys a gentle but heartfelt farewell. The poem is written in the Elizabethan sonnet form, with the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg. Iambic pentameter is used in the poem. There are three quatrains and one couplet in the poem. The couplet is made up of an eye rhyme (over – recover).

 

The First Quatrain

“Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part—

Nay, I have done, you get no more of me;

And I am glad, yea, glad with all my heart,

That thus so cleanly I myself can free.”

The poet addresses his beloved in the first quatrain, telling her that he has no solution to continue his love with her, and that when this love comes to an end once, she will no longer want him. So he proposes that they kiss and then part ways forever. It is clear that his beloved did not cause the separation, nor is she the reason for the parting. He does not want to blame her for the separation, even if she is the cause. Despite the fact that the separation is painful and irrevocable. The lover may want a fresh start because he or she wants complete freedom with little chance of revival in the future. The poet believes that freedom will fill his heart with joy. The word 'glad' is repeated to emphasise the gladness.

 

The Second Quatrain

“Shake hands forever, cancel all our vows,

And when we meet at any time again,

Be it not seen in either of our brows

That we one jot of former love retain.”

In the second quatrain, the poet takes another step toward separation, vowing to break all previous promises made between them. The phrase "shake hands forever" has two meanings. The first is agreement or willingness to part, and the second is permanent parting, which is often painful for true lovers. They express their agreement that if they meet again in the future, they will not have any trace of previous love in their eyes. The second quatrain demonstrates the poet's resolve and seriousness in his decision.

 

The Third Quatrain

“Now at the last gasp of love’s latest breath,

 When his pulse failing, passion speechless lies,

When faith is kneeling by his bed of death,

And innocence is closing up his eyes. ”

In comparison to the first two quatrains, the poet expresses his intense seriousness in the third quatrain. He employs metaphors to emphasise that he is now desperate to leave. The poet personifies his love, which is on the verge of dying. The poet wishes to convey the lessening of love's intensity by personifying love and his friends, passion, faith, and innocence. The poet paints a picture in which his love is taking his last breaths, his pulse is falling, passion is rendered speechless, faith is weakened, and innocence is closing his eyes. In these lines, the poet reaches the pinnacle of emotional experience.

 

The Couplet

—Now if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,

    From death to life thou might'st him yet recover.

There is a sudden shift in mood in the couplet. The poet took his love seriously enough to leave it. He doesn't want to see any trace of his former love. He has no hope of recovery, but he claims that if his beloved wishes to recover the love, he can recover the former love and bring his love back to life. Even at the final moment of separation, his beloved can resurrect the dying love. The poet is searching for a solution in the poem. But the solution is in the hands of his beloved, who can make the dying love active and alive with her powerful emotion.

Conclusion

To summarise our discussion, the poet expresses his intense feelings with appropriate intensity using a strong subjective note. The poem is a fine example of subjective poetry in which the poet finds no way to continue his love. This sense of separation grows stronger over time and eventually reaches the extreme. Though there is no other option, the poet's beloved can help the poet. The poem earns a respected place in Elizabethan poetry.