Lines 1-4

Herbert opens "Virtue" with an apostrophe, directly addressing a personified entity. He starts by speaking to the day, saying, "Sweet day," and then describes it as "cool," "calm," and "bright." Thus, he uses four adjectives to characterize a single noun, "day." The rest of the line includes the adverb "so," repeated three times to indicate intensity. Herbert paints a fairly generic picture without any action, as there is no verb in these eight words. The following line also lacks a verb and functions as an appositive, a noun phrase that describes the noun beside it. "The bridal of the earth and sky," referring to the "day," doesn't imply action but instead enhances the scene in the first line. Essentially, the "sweet day" symbolizes the union of earth and sky. Herbert thus presents a peaceful yet stimulating day, placing the reader in both celestial and terrestrial realms, united in the day's beauty.

However, day eventually turns into night, much like life transitions into death: "The dew shall weep thy fall tonight," the narrator states, using nightfall as a metaphor. This line also alludes to sorrow over the loss of paradise on Earth, the Fall, which according to Judeo-Christian belief, introduced death to the world. The evening dew, imbued with emotion, represents tears shed at nightfall over the Fall, the sin that brought death into existence.

Lines 5-8

With the word "sweet" at the start of the second quatrain, Herbert continues to link nature's beauty with its fleeting nature, as all "sweet" things eventually lose their sweetness. Like the day, the rose symbolizes earthly splendor. It is "sweet" like the day, rich in color, and full of magnificence. (Angry and brave are nuanced terms in Herbert's era; angry could mean "inflamed," while brave could mean "splendid in appearance." The connotations of wrath and courage in these words also highlight the rose's splendor, portraying it as standing knowingly in the face of inevitable doom.) The rose's magnificence is so great that Herbert calls an observer a "rash gazer." Here, "rash" implies a lack of necessary caution when viewing something so dazzling that the observer feels compelled to "wipe," or rub, "his eye" in amazement. Additionally, "rash" may carry a warning: one who gazes upon the rose risks desiring its fleeting beauty over the eternal sweetness of the soul.

Just as the day comes to an end, so too does the rose, despite its vibrant beauty, face inevitable death. "Thy root," which is buried in the ground, must remain there for the rose to thrive, yet "is ever in its grave." This highlights how life and death are inherently connected, with death being a constant presence in life. By pointing out the shared ground between the root, the source of life, and the grave, the final resting place, Herbert draws attention to two Christian teachings: first, that life inherently includes elements of death and will eventually lead to it, and second, that death is not an end but a part of the ongoing cycle of existence. Recognizing the inevitability of death helps one understand the true meaning and purpose of life, encouraging the preparation of one's soul for eternity through virtuous living.

Lines 9-12

The word "sweet" also begins the third quatrain, now describing the spring, which is depicted as "full of sweet days and roses." Thus, the pleasures mentioned in the first two quatrains are encapsulated in the third, reinforcing the narrator's portrayal of earth's abundant gifts. In the second line of the quatrain, spring is compared to "a box where sweets compacted lie." As with the previous quatrains, the...