The poem
Since there's no help, come, let us kiss and part, Nay, I have done, you get no more of me, And I am glad, yea, glad with all my heart, That thus so cleanly I myself can free. Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows, And when we meet at any time again Be it not seen in either of our brows That we one jot of former love retain. Now at the last gasp of Love's latest breath, When, his pulse failing, Passion speechless lies, When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death, And Innocence is closing up his eyes, Now, if thou wouldst, when all have giv'n him over, From death to life thou might'st him yet recover.
Michael Drayton's "Since There's No Help" is a three stanza closed form poem, and in each stanza uses a different tone to express the process of a guy denying his real feelings after a break-up, but his true feeling comes out and its possible recovery.Overall, the tone of this poem is kind of sad and helpless. Drayton exhibits his innermost emotion with his girlfriend to the reader. Grief and indignation are strains his painful heart. From this poem the reader can know how much he loves his girlfriend, and hope hopes she gives him one more chance.
This is NOT a 3 stanza "closed form" poem. It is a sonnet from the sequence 'Idea' republished in 1619. Also Anne being his girlfriend was a theory not a fact. Some theory's say that she didnt love him back and this poem just shows his passion for her and his inner emotion of pain and sadness of being alone as Drayton did die single. It implies this theory in the line "I myself can free". It does however imply also that he does want to contine loving her and could also have implications of his own death.
Sinces there's no help is about a man who wishes he didnt love this strongly. He wants to free himself from it but he knows he wont truly be able to until he dies.
The poem may be compared with Browning's 'The Last Ride Together'. There the generous lover blesses his beloved after the beloved has rejected the lover. He felt proud that the beloved loved her in the past. So he prayed for the permission for the last ride. Here in Drayton's poem no such appeal is made. The lover is still more broad-minded. The Petrarchan tone of frustration is transcended. But is it really possible for a true lover to kiss and part for ever from his beloved? Was the love genuine?
Michael Drayton's 'Since There's No Help'is a poem on recovery of love lost in past.It is an intellectual and economy of love; love as a controlled feeling which is reare in love lyrics! Interesting reading!
J S
Sex in this sonnet
My interpretation is different to others (and should not be taken as true)in that I saw in this poem that perhaps the relationship between the two characters is purely sexual, a one night standish type thing, hence why they are able to part so easily. I took this interpretation largly from the second part of the sonnet. I dont have the poem in front of me so I cant quote exactly but there is some suggestion of…
Read the whole commentMy interpretation is different to others (and should not be taken as true)in that I saw in this poem that perhaps the relationship between the two characters is purely sexual, a one night standish type thing, hence why they are able to part so easily. I took this interpretation largly from the second part of the sonnet. I dont have the poem in front of me so I cant quote exactly but there is some suggestion of sexual imagery, depicting the end of sex: *pulse failing* *breath gasping* etc and thus making the last line a rather lewd comment that he cant get it up now but will later rather than his love might rememerge, the fact that Innocence closes its eyes is also a suggestion of sex in my opinion.
Of course this is strictly my opnion and I dont know anything about the Draytons background so of course this could be wrong in terms of what we know of his personality.
Feel free to tell me I'm wrong or ask me something