A Critical Analysis of Virtue, written by George Herbert

Virtue is a part of The Temple, a collection of poems written by Herbert. Herbert was a religious man whose devotion for Christianity. This poem has been written by him with not so simple meaning but with a sense of positive purpose. This poem has four stanzas and he used many figures of speech to one another. I think virtue means spiritual quality. Let us know stanza by stanza of this poem. 

"Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, 

The bridal of the earth and sky:

The dew shall weep thy fall to night, 

For thou must die".

In the first stanza, The poet says that sweet, calm,cool,and bright day as the moment of bridal of the earth and sky. People feel so happy with this sight but in the same stanza, the poet also says that after ending of the day dew shall weep now and then everything must go away from the present life to enter into another world. So I think it's physical beauty and brightness has limited period to glow then must pass away. 

"Sweet rose,whose hue angry and brave, 

Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye:

Thy root is ever in its grave, 

And thou must die ".

                               In the second stanza, the poet says that after losing the beauty of the thing ,only that sweet rose wipe tears from the eyes. It's root is graved at the same place but fresh energy has gone and that thing is looked like a shadow of tree where no place for birds and insects truly. Nothing likes to come into touch with a lifeless thing. Every element of this universe wants pleasure from a thing which has physical life and spiritual qualities but here the poet says that you also die after a certain span of time. 

"Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses, 

A box where sweets compacted lie,

My music shows ye have your closes, 

And all must die ".

                        In the third stanza, the poet says that one day we look so sweet days and full of joy and a place where everyone enjoys a lot with a number of articles. A great source of music is also available there to spend the best time of enjoyment. But instead of that, what happens when everyone has to pass away from their without fetching their music and musical instruments. The poet says that we must have a positive period of life to enjoy and look for the things of beauty. Everyone knows that it's not permanent ,we don't know about that which can survive permanently in the world. The poet says that we must die here so go beyond that physical death. 

"Only a sweet and virtuous soul,

 Like seasoned timber, never gives;

But though the whole world turn to coal, 

Then chiefly lives".

                           In the fourth and final stanza, the poet wants to conclude his own experiences of life. The poet says that only a soul can be found here permanently nothing else. Only virtuous soul can be appreciated and respected in the world. It's immortal in the world, never goes permanently. It's like a season'd timber because every year the same season has been coming. So spirit has been coming to this world around us in different physical approaches. At last not least, the poet says that the whole world must die and turned into coal but the soul may come and may go. But finally never goes, it's not mortal it's immortal. Herbert focused on a soul or spirit because his interest towards spiritual activities. So he wants to say that the world could be as ashes but spirit could not.