The Choice
Me so oft my fancy drewHere and there, that I ne’er knewWhere to place desire beforeSo that range it might no more;But as he that passeth byWhere, in all her jollity,Flora’s riches in a rowDo in seemly order grow,And a thousand flowers standBending as to kiss his hand;Out of which delightful storeOne he may take and no more;Long he pausing doubteth whetherOf those fair ones he should gather.
First the Primrose courts his eyes,Then the Cowslip he espies;Next the Pansy seems to woo him,Then Carnations bow unto him;Which whilst that enamour’d swainFrom the stalk intends to strain,(As half-fearing to be seen)Prettily her leaves betweenPeeps the Violet, pale to seeThat her virtues slighted be;Which so much his liking winsThat to seize her he begins.
Yet before he stoop’d so lowHe his wanton eye did throwOn a stem that grew more high,And the Rose did there espy.Who, beside her previous scent,To procure his eyes contentDid display her goodly breast,Where he found at full exprestAll the good that Nature showersOn a thousand other flowers;Wherewith he affected takes it,His belovèd flower he makes it,And without desire of moreWalks through all he saw before.
So I wand’ring but erewhileThrough the garden of this Isle,Saw rich beauties, I confess,And in number numberless.Yea, so differing lovely too,That I had a world to doEre I could set up my rest,Where to choose and choose the best.Thus I fondly fear’d, till Fate(Which I must confess in thatDid a greater favour to meThan the world can malice do me)Show’d to me that matchless flower.Subject for this song of our;Whose perfection having eyed,Reason instantly espiedThat Desire, which ranged abroad,There would find a period:And no marvel if it might,For it there hath all delight,And in her hath nature placedWhat each several fair one graced.
Let who list, for me, advanceThe admirèd flowers of France,Let who will praise and beholdThe reservèd Marigold;Let the sweet-breath’d Violet nowUnto whom she pleaseth bow;And the fairest Lily spreadWhere she will her golden head;I have such a flower to wearThat for those I do not care.
Let the young and happy swainsPlaying on the Britain plainsCourt unblamed their shepherdesses,And with their gold curlèd tressesToy uncensured, until IGrudge at their prosperity.Let all times, both present, past,And the age that shall be last,Vaunt the beauties they bring forth.I have found in one such worth,That content I neither careWhat the best before me were;Nor desire to live and seeWho shall fair hereafter be;For I know the hand of NatureWill not make a fairer creature.
Words in this poem
- cowslip n.
- A common flower in England (Primula veris) having yellow blossoms and appearing in early spring. It is often cultivated in the United States. [AS. c, c, prob. orig., cow's droppings. Cf. Slop, n.]
- prettily adv.
- In a pretty manner.
- goodly a.
- Pleasant; agreeable; desirable. [OE. godlich, AS. g. See Good, and Like.]
- wherewith adv.
- With which; -- used relatively.
- erewhile adv.
- Some time ago; a little while before; heretofore.
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- numberless a.
- Innumerable; countless.
- fondly adv.
- Foolishly. Verstegan (1673).
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
- graced a.
- Endowed with grace; beautiful; full of graces; honorable.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- hereafter adv.
- In time to come; in some future time or state. [AS. hræfter.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Choice is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1900, Project Gutenberg ebook #66619; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: George Wither, The Choice, in Poems (1588–1667), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/obev-george-wither/the-choice.html, id L16049.
Form and metre
The Choice is 88 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 77% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 14 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 42% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABB--CCDDBB-- drewA · knewA · beforeB · moreB · by · jollity · rowC · growC · standD · handD · storeB · moreB · whether · gather
- 2 AABBCCDDEEFF eyesA · espiesA · himB · himB · swainC · strainC · seenD · betweenD · seeE · beE · winsF · beginsF
- 3 AA--BBCCDDEEFF lowA · throwA · high · espy · scentB · contentB · breastC · exprestC · showersD · flowersD · itE · itE · moreF · beforeF
- 4 AABBCCDD--EEFFGG-GHHII erewhileA · isleA · confessB · numberlessB · tooC · doC · restD · bestD · fate · that · meE · meE · flowerF · ourF · eyedG · espiedG · abroad · periodG · mightH · delightH · placedI · gracedI
- 5 AABBCCDDEE advanceA · franceA · beholdB · marigoldB · nowC · bowC · spreadD · headD · wearE · careE
- 6 AA----BB----CC-- swainsA · plainsA · shepherdesses · tresses · i · prosperity · pastB · lastB · forth · worth · care · were · seeC · beC · nature · creature
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Me so oft my fancy drew | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Here and there, that I ne’er knew | 7 | ······· |
| Where to place desire before | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| So that range it might no more; | 7 | ······· |
| But as he that passeth by | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Where, in all her jollity, | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| Flora’s riches in a row | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Do in seemly order grow, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| And a thousand flowers stand | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Bending as to kiss his hand; | 7 | /˘····· |
| Out of which delightful store | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| One he may take and no more; | 7 | ······· |
| Long he pausing doubteth whether | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| Of those fair ones he should gather. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| First the Primrose courts his eyes, | 7 | ··/···· |
| Then the Cowslip he espies; | 7 | ··/˘·/˘ |
| Next the Pansy seems to woo him, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Then Carnations bow unto him; | 8 | ·˘/˘···· |
| Which whilst that enamour’d swain | 7 | ······· |
| From the stalk intends to strain, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| (As half-fearing to be seen) | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Prettily her leaves between | 7 | /˘˘···· |
| Peeps the Violet, pale to see | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| That her virtues slighted be; | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Which so much his liking wins | 7 | ····/˘· |
| That to seize her he begins. | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Yet before he stoop’d so low | 7 | ······· |
| He his wanton eye did throw | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| On a stem that grew more high, | 7 | ······· |
| And the Rose did there espy. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Who, beside her previous scent, | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| To procure his eyes content | 7 | ·˘/··˘/ |
| Did display her goodly breast, | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| Where he found at full exprest | 7 | ······· |
| All the good that Nature showers | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| On a thousand other flowers; | 8 | ··/˘/˘/˘ |
| Wherewith he affected takes it, | 8 | ˘/·˘/˘·· |
| His belovèd flower he makes it, | 7 | ···/··· |
| And without desire of more | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Walks through all he saw before. | 7 | ······· |
| So I wand’ring but erewhile | 9 | ········· |
| Through the garden of this Isle, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Saw rich beauties, I confess, | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| And in number numberless. | 7 | ··/˘/˘˘ |
| Yea, so differing lovely too, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| That I had a world to do | 7 | ······· |
| Ere I could set up my rest, | 7 | ······· |
| Where to choose and choose the best. | 7 | ······· |
| Thus I fondly fear’d, till Fate | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| (Which I must confess in that | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Did a greater favour to me | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| Than the world can malice do me) | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Show’d to me that matchless flower. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Subject for this song of our; | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| Whose perfection having eyed, | 7 | ·˘/˘/˘· |
| Reason instantly espied | 6 | /˘/˘˘· |
| That Desire, which ranged abroad, | 7 | ·˘/··˘/ |
| There would find a period: | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| And no marvel if it might, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| For it there hath all delight, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| And in her hath nature placed | 7 | ····/˘· |
| What each several fair one graced. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Let who list, for me, advance | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| The admirèd flowers of France, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| Let who will praise and behold | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| The reservèd Marigold; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Let the sweet-breath’d Violet now | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Unto whom she pleaseth bow; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| And the fairest Lily spread | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Where she will her golden head; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| I have such a flower to wear | 7 | ····/·· |
| That for those I do not care. | 7 | ······· |
| Let the young and happy swains | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Playing on the Britain plains | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Court unblamed their shepherdesses, | 8 | ········ |
| And with their gold curlèd tresses | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Toy uncensured, until I | 7 | ······· |
| Grudge at their prosperity. | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
| Let all times, both present, past, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| And the age that shall be last, | 7 | ······· |
| Vaunt the beauties they bring forth. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| I have found in one such worth, | 7 | ······· |
| That content I neither care | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| What the best before me were; | 7 | ······· |
| Nor desire to live and see | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| Who shall fair hereafter be; | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| For I know the hand of Nature | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Will not make a fairer creature. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.