Thomas Nashe, known primarily for his sharp-witted pamphleteering, occasionally ventured into the realm of poetry, despite his more renowned prose works. Nashe’s poetic contributions, though not revolutionary, reflect both his adherence to and gentle mockery of contemporary styles. While his prose secured his legacy, his poetry, sprinkled across his works, offers insight into his views on art, morality, and the human condition.

Nashe's Poetic Landscape

Nashe held poetry in high esteem, considering it a paramount form of moral philosophy, capable of refining both language and character. He aligned with the Renaissance belief that poetry should be steeped in scholarship, enhancing virtue and condemning vice. Nashe’s appreciation for poetry's potential to "cleanse" language set him against what he saw as lesser forms, such as the balladry of "common pamfletters." Despite his own pamphleteering, he critiqued these writers for their lack of scholarship and dedication, contrasting them with the learned tradition he revered.

Nashe’s own poetry, invariably contextualized within his prose, presents as jewels among coarser materials. Works like Pierce Penilesse, His Supplication to the Divell, "The Four Letters Confuted," and The Unfortunate Traveller are interspersed with poetic interludes. His play Summer’s Last Will and Testament, written in blank verse, also includes several lyrics, showcasing his ability to blend narrative and verse.

Exploration of Sonnets

Nashe’s sonnets, numbering six, often serve thematic purposes within larger works. They predominantly follow the English sonnet structure but occasionally venture into Italian form. In "Perusing yesternight, with idle eyes," Nashe uses the sonnet to praise the lord Amyntas, speculating on Edmund Spenser’s omission of him in The Faerie Queene. In contrast, "Were there no warres," closing his critique of Gabriel Harvey, promises relentless poetic conflict, echoing a forward-looking stance akin to John Milton.

Two of Nashe’s sonnets parody the Petrarchan style, underlining his disdain for unrealistic romantic idealization. Found in The Unfortunate Traveller, "If I must die" and "Faire roome, the presence of sweet beauty’s pride" lampoon the exaggerated romanticism of the medieval tradition. Nashe’s character, Jack Wilton, serves as a vehicle for Nashe’s more grounded views, preferring straightforwardness over poetic riddles in matters of love.

The remaining sonnets further reject Petrarchan conventions by addressing more earthly concerns. Dedicated to a patron in The Choise of Valentines, "To the Right Honorable the lord S." and "Thus hath my penne presum’d to please" justify Nashe’s choice to write explicitly about human desires, proposing that genuine representation of "loves pleasures" was lacking in his time.

The Lyrical Voice

Nashe’s lyrical work, though sparse, reflects his range and personal preoccupations. His earliest lyrics, like "Why ist damnation," reveal a deeply personal side, lamenting unfulfilled ambitions and societal constraints. In this piece, Nashe contemplates despair and the futility of wit in England, ultimately bidding farewell to a country that undervalues skill.

"All Soul, no earthly flesh" is an anti-Petrarchan lyric filled with exaggerated flattery, reminiscent of Nashe’s parodying sonnets. His later work in Summer’s Last Will and Testament consists of both lively and somber lyrics, with the general tone reflecting the play’s theme of summer’s end. The poignant "Song: Adieu, farewell earths blisse" stands out, articulating a universal human lament over life’s fleeting joys and the inevitability of death.

In these lyrics, Nashe engages with themes of existential dread and the natural cycle, culminating in a prayer for divine mercy. His precise use of language and structure captures the essence of human vulnerability in the face of nature’s relentless march.

The Choise of Valentines: An Erotic Narrative

The Choise of Valentines , Nashe’s longest poetic endeavor, presents an unflinchingly erotic narrative. Through the character of...