WHEN I WAS FAIR AND YOUNGQueen Elizabeth I

1533–1603

ANALYSIS 1

Favor] good looksImportune] solicit, propositionSpake] said,spokeVenus] Roman goddess of love (mother of Cupid)For that you be] since you are beingPluck your plumes] remove your fineryWherefore]for which

The poem is an example of a ballad (= a narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain). It tells the story of Queen Elizabeth’s experiences with romance from youth to middle age.

TONE: The knowledge of the lost opportunities is difficult for Queen Elizabeth to accept, and it sounds like she is struggling to come to terms with the fact that her life is destined to be lived alone. In other words, the overall tone may be said to be reflective and contrite.

THEME: The main idea in this poem concerns regret, mortality, and time. The poem is about feeling that time has passed Queen Elizabeth by and stolen opportunity from her, but it is also about dying—or growing old—and how said process changes one’s relationship with others and the world. Other ideas explored in the poem include the perils of love, namely those engendered by rejecting suitors, as well as the foolhardiness of pride.

The use of repetition in the final line of each stanza changes in meaning as we progress through Queen Elizabeth’s life: from arrogant, to vain, to a warning, to misery and repentance. Moreover, it emphasizes how dismissive Queen Elizabeth has been with her suitors. “‘Go, go, go’” (line 4) sends a clear message that they are bothering her and combines with her “scorn” (line 3) to paint a picture that is far from pretty. Furthermore, in the first two stanzas, the caesurae that appear in a similar place in the third line create a sense of causality and, incidentally, throw Queen Elizabeth’s faults, namely superciliousness and pride, into a harsher light. Those in the fourth line of each stanza serve to confer equal importance upon both of her demands, and present proof of her implacability. In each stanza, the first three lines

are composed in iambic hexameter, with the last line being composed in iambic heptameter for emphasis. The prevalence of end-stopped lines is a testament to Queen Elizabeth’s poise and

constancy. In addition, it may also represent the immutability of the past. As for the enjambment in

lines 13-14, it hints at a display of passion and restlessness.

When I was fair and young, and favor graced me,Of many was I sought their mistress for to be.But I did scorn them all, // and said to them therefore:“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; // importune me no more.”

How many weeping eyes I made to pine in woe;How many sighing hearts I have not skill to show,But I the prouder grew, // and still this spake therefore:“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; // importune me no more.”

Then spake fair Venus’ son, that brave victorious boy,Saying: “You dainty dame, for that you be so coy,I will so pluck your plumes as you shall say no more:‘Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; // importune me no more.’”

As soon as he had said, such change grew in my breastThat neither night nor day I could take any rest.Wherefore I did repent that I had said before:“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; // importune me no more.”

ANALYSIS 2

The word “importune” (line 4) emphasizes the pride of the speaker as it means to bother or pester. It shows that the speaker viewed her suitors as nothing more than pests, dismissing them like flies or buzzing insects. She paid no heed to the “weeping eyes” (line 5) and “sighing hearts” (line 6) she caused, and it was only when Cupid took away her beauty that she realized she had made a mistake.

In the first stanza, Queen Elizabeth says that she used to have many suitors, but she scorned them, meaning that she felt nothing but contempt for them, considering them unworthy of her attention. This impression is intensified in the second stanza when she considers the multitude of “weeping eyes” (line 5) and “sighing hearts” (line 6) she has caused. These images conjure up sympathy for her suitors, and the fact that she does not even remember how many there were also adds to the idea of her being callous and emotionally cold. In the face of their misery, she grew “prouder” (line 7), which implies that she actually enjoyed playing the role of heartbreaker and celebrated how aloof she acted toward them. Furthermore, the word “but” is repeated twice, at the beginning of lines 3 and 7, substantiating her willfulness, as well as her current regret.

In the third stanza, everything changes. Venus’ son is Cupid, and therefore she is personifying love as a mythical Roman god, who seems to have become annoyed with Queen Elizabeth’s attitude toward love, as well as the emotional pain incurred by all her poor suitors. He “pluck[s] [her] plumes” (line 11), and makes her not quite so desirable. What is really happening is that she is ageing and is no longer the beauty of her youth. Once this happens, she begins to regret her former attitude. She liked the attention, and in the last stanza she repents her previous actions, wishing she had not been so dismissive of her suitors. Alternatively, “Venus’ son” (line 9) may represent an actual man, the only one who was “victorious” (line 9)—that is, successful in winning her heart. Moreover, the alliteration of the letter “b” in line 9 creates a forceful sound that lends itself to an image of heroism, thereby implying Queen Elizabeth’s admiration for him. Said admiration might have been engendered by his unconventional approach to courtship: rather than grovel at her feet, playing the lovesick fool, he remained aloof. Following this train of thought, the “plumes” mentioned in line 11 may be said to represent Queen Elizabeth’s façade of being untouchable, which constituted a significant part of her appeal. Note that alliteration is extensively used in the third stanza: “dainty dame” (line 10) sounds almost playful, belying the import of his words, for a dame though she was, Queen Elizabeth, as a monarch, would not have exhibited the delicacy implied by “dainty”; “pluck your plumes” (line 11) is once again playful in nature, although the underlying forcefulness of the phrase may be perceived as threatening.

When I was fair and young, and favor graced me,Of many was I sought their mistress for to be.But I did scorn them all, and said to them therefore:“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.”

How many weeping eyes I made to pine in woe;How many sighing hearts I have not skill to show,But I the prouder grew, and still this spake therefore:“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.”

Then spake fair Venus’ son, that brave victorious boy,Saying: “You dainty dame, for that you be so coy,I will so pluck your plumes as you shall say no more:‘Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.’”

As soon as he had said, such change grew in my breastThat neither night nor day I could take any rest.Wherefore I did repent that I had said before:“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.”

ANALYSIS 3

Love is personified, as it often is, as Cupid, who is called a “brave victorious boy” (line 9) and does not take too kindly to Queen Elizabeth’s attitude toward courtship. Love is vicious and decides to “pluck [her] plumes” (line 11), which conjures up the image of a peacock or some other bird with beautiful feathers being forcefully and painfully stripped of its most wonderful feature. This simply means that she is losing her beauty as a result of ageing, but she feels like this is some sort of karma for her former attitude. (For another possible interpretation, see the previous slide.)

Lastly, the fourth stanza deals with the effects of Cupid’s affirmation. Queen Elizabeth is distressed about the loss of her beauty to such a degree that sleep—or, indeed, respite—is impossible. Alternatively, the “change [that] grew in [her] breast” (line 13) may indicate the fact that she has fallen in love. As all separated lovers are wont to do, Queen Elizabeth cannot purge her thoughts of the man who stole her heart, and, therefore, is unable to “take any rest” (line 14), her thoughts being no longer placid, but tumultuous. This restlessness is highlighted by the enjambment apparent in lines 13-14.

The poem is composed of couplets: the rhyme scheme is a variation on the basic aabb sequence, with the latter couplet being repeated in each of the four stanzas. In short, the rhyme scheme is very

simple, hinting at the idea that Queen Elizabeth’s rather obvious predicament is the result of a silly mistake, which she made due to silly reasons. Moreover, the repetition of the bb structure emphasizes

the fact that the couplets are germane to the theme of the poem, as well as the relationship of causality between the two lines within each couplet.

When I was fair and young, and favor graced me, aOf many was I sought their mistress for to be. aBut I did scorn them all, and said to them therefore: b“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.” b

How many weeping eyes I made to pine in woe; cHow many sighing hearts I have not skill to show, cBut I the prouder grew, and still this spake therefore: b“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.” b

Then spake fair Venus’ son, that brave victorious boy, dSaying: “You dainty dame, for that you be so coy, dI will so pluck your plumes as you shall say no more: b‘Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.’” b

As soon as he had said, such change grew in my breast eThat neither night nor day I could take any rest. eWherefore I did repent that I had said before: b“Go, go, go, seek some otherwhere; importune me no more.” b