Paraphrasing

A paraphrase is rewriting a part of information in your own words.

Let's paraphrase each stanza from "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" to simpler terms.

Stanza 1

"Come live with me and be my Love,

And we will all the pleasures prove

That hills and valleys, dale and field,

And all the craggy mountains yield."

Sample Answer: The young man pops the big question in the first line. He promises the young woman that they will enjoy every pleasure nature has to offer.

Stanza 2

"There will we sit upon the rocks

And see the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers, to whose falls

Melodious birds sing madrigals."

Sample Answer: He tells the young woman that they will sit listening to the music of the birds and watch while the other shepherds take care of the sheep.

Stanza 3

"There will I make thee beds of roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle(gown)

Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle."

Sample Answer: The young shepherd promises a "bed of rose," bouquets of flowers, and beautiful clothes.

Stanza 4

"A gown made of the finest wool

Which from our pretty lambs we pull,

Fair lined slippers for the cold,

With buckles of the purest gold."

Sample Answer: The promises of beautiful clothes continue, and he even adds fur lined shoes with gold buckles.

Stanza 5

"A belt of straw and ivy buds

With coral clasps and amber studs:

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me and be my Love."

Sample Answer: After sweetening the pot by adding promises of jewelry, he pops the question again, "How about moving in with me?" He's sweetened the pot with "things" alright, but he might not have sweetened it with the words she wants to hear.

Stanza 6

"Thy silver dishes for thy meat

As precious as the gods do eat,

Shall on an ivory table be

Prepared each day for thee and me."

Sample Answer: To make sure he's convinced her, he adds a few more promises--food fit for the gods, served on silver dishes, and placed on an ivory table. Notice that he says the food will "be prepared" for them. She won't have to lift a finger.

Stanza 7

"The shepherd swains shall dance and sing

For thy delight each May-morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me and be my Love."

Sample Answer: What a guy! Dancing boys will even be provided for the young woman's entertainment. Notice that he only mentions a "May morning." He doesn't say anything about December, January, or February. So, does "May" symbolize that he's there for good times only? He never mentions marriage or forever. Come to think about it, where's a shepherd going to get the money to buy all of the gifts he's promising?

Paraphrasing

Now, let's paraphrase each stanza from "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" to simpler terms.

Stanza 1

"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."

Sample Answer: The young woman begins her answer with the word "If." That's not a good sign for the shepherd. It gets worse when she lets him know that she doesn't believe there's "truth in every shepherd's tongue."

Stanza 2

"Time drives the flocks from field to fold

When rivers rage and rocks grow cold,

And nightingale becometh dumb;

The rest complains of cares to come."

Sample Answer: Now she reminds him that they won't be young forever and "cares may come." He never mentioned the future, and the young woman reminds him of the fact.

Stanza 3

"The flowers do fade, and barren fields

To wayward winter reckoning yields;

A honey tongue, a heart of gall

Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall."

Sample Answer: The young woman tells him that the flowers of spring and summer will turn to barren fields in the winter. She appreciates his sweet words, but she can't be sure of his heart. What a person wishes for may not come true. This young girl has her feet planted firmly on the ground while the shepherd's head is in the clouds.

Stanza 4

"The gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,

Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies

Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten,--

In foolishness ripe, in reason rotten."

Sample Answer: Her last line says it all: sounds like a good idea but it doesn't sound reasonable to believe all these things will come true.

Stanza 5

"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."

Sample Answer: She tells him that the "things" he promises her won't convince her to live with him.

Stanza 6

"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."

Sample Answer: The young woman begins her final sentence with the important word "But." She's clever to leave the door slightly open. She more or less tells him that she's interested but too smart to fall for a man who only lives for today without a thought about tomorrow.

7. What does the shepherd ask of his beloved in the first stanza?
Answer: The shepherd asks her to live with him and be his love.

8. What does he tell her they will do if she agrees to his request?
Answer: He tells her they will enjoy all the pleasures of life if she agrees to his request.

9. What things does the shepherd promise to give his beloved if she will live with him?
Answer: The shepherd promises to give her a bed of roses, thousands of flowers, nice clothes, fur-lined shoes, wonderful food on silver dishes, and jewels.

10. Describe the kind of life the couple would have according to the shepherd. In your opinion, is this a realistic possibility?
Answer: They would have a life of fun and excitement with no responsibility or thought of the future.

11. What does the nymph imply about the shepherd in the first stanza?
Answer: The nymph implies that he may be lying.

12. How does the nymph characterize all the treasures the shepherd offers?
Answer: She characterizes them as treasures that will not last but fade away with time.

13. What does her response tell you about her view of life?
Answer: Her responses tells us that she has a much more realistic outlook on life.

14. Why are the words If and But in the first and last stanza so important?
Answer: The words If and But in the first and last stanza are important because they let us know from the beginning that she is going to turn him down and lets us know at the end that she is interested in the young man.