Poetry Sunday: To Daffodils by Robert Herrick

Gardening is a hobby, some might say an obsession, of mine. I live in an area with a growing season that is virtually year-round so there's always something going on in the garden and I spend a lot of time attempting to grow many different kinds of plants. Many plants thrive here and it is very rewarding to watch them grow. But there are some that I've tried to grow that have been a bust. Among those failures are daffodils. You might think daffs would be easy. I mean you can see them growing wild around old abandoned home sites with no one to care for them, but there is something about the heat and humidity here, or maybe it's the soil, or perhaps a combination of both that is inimical to the growth of daffodils. I plant them and they bloom for one year and then they disappear, so I've pretty much given up on them and moved on to other things.

Poets love daffodils, of course. One always thinks of William Wordsworth, but Robert Herrick was fond of them, too, and he saw that we share with the blooms of the daffodils a relatively brief time on this Earth. All the more reason to bloom profusely while we have the chance.

To Daffodils

by Robert Herrick

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.

Comments

  1. mudpuddleMay 22, 2021 at 10:59 PM

    wonderful poem; i like Herrick a lot... tx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 23, 2021 at 8:33 AM

      I don't know if he's taught much in English literature courses anymore but he's one of the first poets I remember from my studies.

      Delete
  2. David M. Gascoigne,May 23, 2021 at 5:31 AM

    A well-crafted verse. It is so true that we are here for such a short time, so better we make the most of it and try to do some good. If only we could all commit to leaving the place better than we found it, think what a difference that could make. As you know, Dorothy, I look forward each weekend to the Saturday roundup, but the Sunday poem is no less anticipated and is enjoyed equally.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 23, 2021 at 8:34 AM

      And I look forward to seeing your comments here.

      Delete
  3. Nikki - Notes of LifeMay 23, 2021 at 10:19 AM

    A wonderful poem.

    I'm not sure how, but our daffodils are still blooming and in good shape. I'm sure they've usually gone by now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 23, 2021 at 11:16 AM

      I love daffodils, as who doesn't? I have fond memories of my mother's garden with its long row of daffs when I was growing up.

      Delete
  4. The Butterfly ReaderMay 23, 2021 at 3:56 PM

    I love this poem. It's lovely. Also, I love your new blog layout.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 23, 2021 at 4:57 PM

      I'm glad you like the poem and the layout. Thank you.

      Delete
  5. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningMay 28, 2021 at 4:30 PM

    Wonderful poem Dorothy. Daffodils are so pretty and a welcomed sing of spring. I agree that gardening can be an obsession!!!

    ReplyDelete

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