Critical Appreciation of Robert Herrick’s "Delight in Disorder".
Herrick’s poems achieved no contemporary fame and he had to wait till the end of the 18th century before he took his place as one of the greatest of English lyric poets. Every lyric he wrote reveals his inspired command of meter and rhyme. His Delight in Disorder is one of the notable and famous lyric poems of English Literature. It has attracted the heart of the readers fro its lyrical quality.
Disorder means absence of order and delight means pleasure. Generally disorder or absence of order brings confusion, anger and frustration. But Herrick finds delight in disorder. Instead of arousing anger and frustration, disorder provokes in him ecstasy of happiness and satisfaction. Hoe and why it creates delight instead of dislike is a question that can only be answered by looking at his poem Delight in Disorder.
Delight in Disorder is a love poem. It is a heart filled with love that sings the poem. The poem is addressed to a lady. In this poem we find that the lady does not follow the social norms of dressing. But the poet sees the lady in the light of love and adoration. (Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder – Arar-e chatoner rong-a panna holo soboj. Robert Herrick, being filled with love, sees no flaw in his beloved, rather he finds in every aspect of her lady, even when he is in complete disorder). His beloved is presumably very beautiful and her beauty and his love for her make everything about her looking beautiful to him. The lady had not followed the grammar of dressing scrupulously. There are signs of disorder in her dress. The poet starts describing those disorders from shoulder downward to her shoes. These disorders might have created confusion or dislike in another person. But the poet’s heart is filled with love for her. His eyes are the eyes of an intoxicated lover. So, the disorder in her dress instead of creating repugnance heightens the beauty and increases his love for her. We notice this feeling of his in the following lines –
“An erring
Disorder means absence of order and delight means pleasure. Generally disorder or absence of order brings confusion, anger and frustration. But Herrick finds delight in disorder. Instead of arousing anger and frustration, disorder provokes in him ecstasy of happiness and satisfaction. Hoe and why it creates delight instead of dislike is a question that can only be answered by looking at his poem Delight in Disorder.
Delight in Disorder is a love poem. It is a heart filled with love that sings the poem. The poem is addressed to a lady. In this poem we find that the lady does not follow the social norms of dressing. But the poet sees the lady in the light of love and adoration. (Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder – Arar-e chatoner rong-a panna holo soboj. Robert Herrick, being filled with love, sees no flaw in his beloved, rather he finds in every aspect of her lady, even when he is in complete disorder). His beloved is presumably very beautiful and her beauty and his love for her make everything about her looking beautiful to him. The lady had not followed the grammar of dressing scrupulously. There are signs of disorder in her dress. The poet starts describing those disorders from shoulder downward to her shoes. These disorders might have created confusion or dislike in another person. But the poet’s heart is filled with love for her. His eyes are the eyes of an intoxicated lover. So, the disorder in her dress instead of creating repugnance heightens the beauty and increases his love for her. We notice this feeling of his in the following lines –
“An erring