The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

“The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” is a poem of seduction. During the English Renaissance, it was one of the most widely shared and popular poems. The speaker tries to seduce their “love” by describing a rural setting and lifestyle full of intense emotional and physical pleasure. The lifestyle promised is devoid of sin, sadness, and disappointment–only a few markers of a real-life relationship.

In the first stanza, the speaker tries to convince their significant other to come to the countryside and live a happy, idyllic life. The speaker attempts to woo the significant other by promising all sorts of luxuries. When the speaker states “And we will all the pleasures prove” (Line 2), the speaker is making the landscape and the relationship both sensual and innocent. They do this by focusing on the pleasure the couple will derive from nature simply by experiencing it. For example, the speaker imagines the couple “will sit upon the Rocks” (Line 5) and “By shallow Rivers” (Line 7). The speaker remains ignorant of the negative consequences— not only the couple’s actions if they abandon everything to pursue their romance, but also the negative consequences their pursuit and false promises may have on the relationship.