The Flowers That
on The Banks and Walks Did Grow
Aemilia Lanyer
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Aemilia Lanyer
(1569 – 1645)
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A member of the minor gentry, her father and her husband
were both court musicians. She was also the mistress of
Henry Carey, by whom she became pregnant.

Aemilia was the first woman in England to publish a book of
original poetry Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (Hail, God, King of
the Jews). She was inspired on a visit to Cookham, which she
said awakened her spiritually.

The title poem contains 200 stanzas that satirically tells the
story of Christ’s passion primarily through the viewpoint of
the women who surround him. She also points out that
women attended to Christ after the burial and resurrection,
and that Pilate’s wife attempted to prevent the unjust trial of
Christ.

Although the topics of religion and virtue were acceptable,
she was considered a radical because she used these venues
to address topics like the maltreatment of women. For
example, she argues that Eve, who bears the blame for the
expulsion from Eden, should share the blame with Adam.
http://clatterymachinery.wordpress.com/category/the-description-of-cooke-ham/
+ The Flowers That
on The Banks and Walks Did Grow
The flowers that on the banks and walks did grow
Crept in the ground, the grass did weep for woe;
The winds and waters seemed to chide together
Because you went away they knew not whither;
And those sweet brooks that ran so fair and clear,
With grief and trouble wrinkled did appear.
Those pretty birds that wonted were to sing,
Now neither sing, nor chirp, nor use their wing;
But with their tender feet on some bare spray,
Warble forth sorrow and their own dismay.
Fair Philomela leaves her mournful ditty,
Drowned in deep sleep, yet can procure no pity.
Each arbor, bank, each seat, each stately tree
Looks bare and desolate now for want of thee,
Turning green tresses into frosty gray,
While in cold grief they wither all away.
The sun grew weak, his beams no comfort gave,
While all green things did make the earth their grave.
Each brier, each bramble, when you went away
Caught fast your clothes, thinking to make you stay;
Delightful Echo wonted to reply
To our last words, did now for sorrow die;
The house cast off each garment that might grace it,
Putting on dust and cobwebs to deface it.
All desolation then there did appear,
When you were going, whom they held so dear.
This last farewell to Cooke-ham here I give,
When I am dead thy name in this may live,
Wherein I have performed her noble hest
Whose virtues lodge in my unworthy breast,
And ever shall, so long as life remains,
Tying my life to her by those rich chains.
+ Context

This verse is an excerpt from
The Description of Cookeham, the last poem in Salve
Deus Rex Judaeorum.

This poem praises the estate
of Lanyer’s patroness,
Margaret, Countess of
Cumberland, as being a lost
Eden for women.

Lanyer views the Countess as
the ideal Renaissance
woman—graceful, virtuous,
honorable, and beautiful;
thus, while Margaret is
around the flowers and trees
work to please her. In this
excerpt, Margaret has left the
estate, so the flowers and
trees mourn her.
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Structure
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The poem is written in the
pastoral tradition that both
praises and laments the loss of
a unique paradise.
The 210-line verse is written in
couplets of iambic pentameter.
Lanyer is often credited with
writing the first “CountryHouse” poem; others give that
credit to Ben Jonson.
Alliteration of the “w” sound accentuate nature’s loss.
The flowers that on the banks and walks did grow
Crept in the ground, the grass did weep for woe;
The winds and waters seemed to chide together
Because you went away they knew not whither;
And those sweet brooks that ran so fair and clear,
With grief and trouble wrinkled did appear.
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Pathetic fallacy is used so that the
“flowers,” “winds,” “waters,” and
“brooks” express forlorn emotions
to mourn the departure of the
feminine ideal.
Pastoral imagery grounds the poem in
nature to provide a more vivid experience.
Caesura in lines 2 and 6
emphasize the cessation of
sound.
Birds are personified as
“tender” to establish the
feminine ideal.
Those pretty birds that wonted were to sing,
Now neither sing, nor chirp, nor use their wing;
But with their tender feet on some bare spray,
Warble forth sorrow and their own dismay.
Fair Philomela leaves her mournful ditty,
Drowned in deep sleep, yet can procure no pity.
The allusion to Philomela is appropriate for a poem that
praises feminine strength. Philomela, after being raped
and mutilated by her sister’s husband, obtains her revenge
and is transformed into a nightingale. Because of the
violence perpetrated on Philomela, the nightingale’s song
is considered sorrowful. Coincidentally, female
nightingales are mute; males sing.
lilwren.deviantart.com
Repeated use of caesura illustrates the widespread affect of the
feminine departure. The personification of the “trees,” “sun,”
“green things,” and “house” reflects how each aspect of nature
embraces winter once Margaret leaves.
Each arbor, bank, each seat, each stately tree
Looks bare and desolate now for want of thee,
Turning green tresses into frosty gray,
While in cold grief they wither all away.
The sun grew weak, his beams no comfort gave,
While all green things did make the earth their grave.
Each brier, each bramble, when you went away
Caught fast your clothes, thinking to make you stay;
Delightful Echo wonted to reply
To our last words, did now for sorrow die;
The house cast off each garment that might grace it,
Putting on dust and cobwebs to deface it.
All desolation then there did appear,
When you were going, whom they held so dear.
Echo distracted Hera by talking while Zeus dallied with
the nymphs, so Hera punished her by removing her
voice except when repeating others’ words.
Allusion to Echo
reflects the pervading
silence of nature.
This last farewell to Cooke-ham here I give,
When I am dead thy name in this may live,
Wherein I have performed her noble hest
Whose virtues lodge in my unworthy breast,
And ever shall, so long as life remains,
Tying my life to her by those rich chains.
Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, requested a poem
about her Cook-ham home. This poem is considered that
poem. This particular excerpt lauds the feminine ideal of
Cook-ham by showing the ill effects on nature of
Margaret’s departure.
Notice the tribute in the final couplet. The poet
will remain “tied” to Cookham’s “rich chains.
These images reveal the impact the home had on
Lanyer.
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Theme
Nature, when impacted by the feminine idea, suffers when left alone.
Feminist Interpretation: All that is feminine can be celebrated when women
rely on one another for it is the responsibility of all women to pass on their
knowledge to other women.
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Tone
The poem is basically an elegiac
poem lamenting the loss of
spring and summer all due to
the departure of Margaret. Thus,
the tone of the poem is
sorrowful.
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Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/renaissance-poetry.html
http://www.poemhunter.com/aemilia-lanyer/biography/