Introduction

"Go, Lovely Rose" by Edmund Waller is a 17th-century lyrical poem. It is unknown precisely when the poem was written, but it was first published in Waller's 1645 collections Poems. Waller, a Royalist and member of Parliament who supported King Charles I during the English Civil War (1642–1651), is often associated with the Cavaliers, a group of poets known for drawing on classical references and emphasizing themes of joy, celebration, and earthly pleasures. The poem comprises four stanzas, each conveying a distinct message about beauty and youth's fleeting nature.

As a typical example of Cavalier poetry, "Go, Lovely Rose" embodies the carpe diem tradition, urging the reader to seize the day. These poems were often addressed to young women, with the male speaker lamenting the transient nature of time and urging them to embrace passion and beauty rather than clinging to reservation and respectability.

Poem Summary

The poem begins with an imperative directed at the rose: "Go, lovely Rose—. "The rose, traditionally a symbol of beauty and love, is personified and sent on a mission to a woman who is presumably the object of the speaker's affection. The speaker instructs the rose to convey a message to this woman, urging her to recognize the beauty she possesses and to appreciate it before it fades away. By characterizing the woman as "her that wastes her time and me," the speaker also conveys a sense of impatience. This opening stanza sets the tone for the poem, which is both an ode to the woman's beauty and a reminder of the ephemeral nature of that beauty. 

In the second stanza, the speaker asks the rose to inform the woman that, like the flower, her beauty is temporary. The rose, beautiful yet short-lived, is a metaphor for the woman's own fleeting beauty. The speaker's message carries a sense of urgency, emphasizing that time passes quickly and that her youth and attractiveness will not last forever.

The third stanza continues this theme, with the speaker expressing frustration that the woman is hiding her beauty from the world. He compares her to the rose that blooms in solitude: "Small is the worth / Of beauty from the light retired." The speaker subtly critiques the woman's modesty or reluctance to engage with the world, suggesting that she is not fully embracing or sharing her beauty and is thus wasting the brief period of time when she is at her most beautiful.

In the final stanza, the speaker tells the rose to "die" to underscore the metaphor he has drawn between the fleeting beauty of the rose and the woman. He concludes with a reminder that "the common fate of all things rare" is to fade away, reinforcing the idea that the woman should not be reserved but instead embrace the love and admiration she receives while she is still young and beautiful.