Edmund Waller was born in March 1606 into an affluent English family. His father was a lawyer and prudent investor. Known for his wit and management skill, Edmund entered Parliament, and in time, became a famous MP in the House of Commons, although his political life had many difficult periods.
Go, Lovely Rose (1645) is one of the most famous and quoted short verses in all of English literature. It is a lyric poem with four stanzas of five lines each. The rose is the unifliing image, and symbolizes youth, the brevity of beauty, and yearning for companionship. The “conversation” between the speaker and the rose - a metaphor for a beautiful woman - gets more intense with each stanza, as the speaker's appeal becomes more urgent.
The concept of a formal “courtship” period between two people, or the idea of chivalry is not well-imagined today as it was in Waller's 17th century England. Still, the human need to be wanted and loved has not changed since time began, even though it is demonstrated in different ways. It is poetry such as Go, Lovely Rose that stays our mind - if even for a few fleeting moments - on innocence, purity, and the beauty that exists when two souls are truly connected.
Z. Randall Stroope
Performance Note: The “conversational” Sense of the text, wrapped with a quiet Sense of urgency and passion, demands strong direction in phrasing, word emphasis, and personal involvement in the text. Not all phrases rise and fall the same, and “every noun is not created equal.”