SongLady Mary Wroth

Lady Mary Wroth• English Renaissance poet• Daughter of Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester• King James I married Mary to Sir Robert Wroth

of Loughton Hall• Unhappy marriage – Robert was a gambler,

philanderer and drunkard who lost copious amounts of money

• He died of gangrene, leaving her alone with a newborn baby

1587 - 1651

• She then took up a relationship with her cousin, William Herbert

• They had 2 illegitimate children• William was a favourite of Queen Anne• When Mary published her work, Urania, she was

criticized for scandalizing the lives of the nobles.• In Urania, Wroth repeatedly returns to references

to a powerful and jealous Queen who exiles her weaker rival from the court in order to obtain her lover, causing many critics to believe this referenced tension between Queen Anne and Wroth over the love of Herbert.

• After the publication issues surrounding Urania, Wroth left King James's court and was later abandoned by William Herbert. There is little known about Wroth's later years but it is known that she continued to face major financial difficulties for the remainder of her life. Wroth died in either 1651 or 1653

Song (c. 1620)

Love a child is ever crying;Please him, and he straight is flying;Give him he the more is craving,Never satisfied with having.

His desires have no measure;Endless folly is his treasure;What he promiseth he breaketh.Trust not one word that he speaketh.

He vows nothing but false matter,And to cozen you he'll flatter.Let him gain the hand, he’ll leave youAnd still glory to deceive you.

He will triumph in your wailing,And yet cause be of your failing.These his virtues are, and slighterAre his gifts, his favours lighter.

Feathers are as firm in staying,Wolves no fiercer in their preying.As a child then leave him crying;Nor seek him so given to flying.

Form & Structure

• 5 stanzas, each of 4 lines (rhyming couplets)• Each line comprised of 8 syllables• Very structured• Regular rhyme scheme: AABB

Tone, Mood & Figurative Language

• Tone – jaded, cynical• Mood – affronted?• Metaphor, simile• Love personified as an insatiable male child

Check out more resources here…

• http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/mary-wroth

• http://www.online-literature.com/periods/timeline.php

• http://www.online-literature.com/periods/timeline.php

Essay Questions

• Do you agree with the attributes of a child portrayed by Lady Mary Wroth in her poem ‘Song’? Why / why not? Substantiate your answer.

Or:• How does Lady Mary Wroth effectively convey

her perspective on love in this poem?