Question

The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd
by Sir Walter Raleigh
1600

If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.

Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold;
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complain of cares to come.

The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy bed of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies,
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten,
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
Thy coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.

But could youth last and love still breed,
Had joys no date nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy love.

1. In "the Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd," the nymph can best be described as:
A. fickle
B.impressionable
C. wise
D. cruel


I think it's C but I'm not completely sure?

Answer 1

Either wise or cruel -- cruel because all through this she is describing the awful things that will happen over time. Everything rots! Everything goes to ruin!

Wise because ???

Answer 2

or it might be D because the nymph is undermining the man's offer because all that he offers is transitory. She reverses his images into negative ones. ?

Answer 3

I thought wise because she doesn't fall for his offers and rejects him

Answer 4

I agree with you that more than one of these answers could be correct. Will you have a chance to explain your choice of answers?