SINCE THERE IS NO HELP BY MICHAEL DRAYTON

POEM INTRODUCTION:

Since there’s no help is a sonnet with 14 lines written by Michael Drayton. This poem is the 61st sonnet among 64 sonnets sequence in Idea’s Mirror which was published in 1594. His sonnets are mostly about wooing a lady (Anne Goodere) and also for some patrons. The sonnet form of the poem is abab, cdcd, efef, gg. This poem particularly focuses on the breakup of the relationship and impulse reaction of the poet towards it. He shifts his emotional reaction from the beginning of the poem to the end. Love is a sweet thing but when people fail to deal with it properly it ends up with full of bitterness. Let’s see how the poet’s graceful goodbye shifts to a hopeful hello.

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 given him over,

From death to life thou might’st him yet recover!

POEM SUMMARY:

The poet to his Ladylove in hopeless tone says that since there is nothing they can do about their love, it is better to say good bye to each other with a parting kiss. He says that he already has departed from his love and so she will never get his love anymore.

He says that he is happy of the break up as it makes him free himself from this relationship. To do this clean, he asks to remove or forget all the vows that they gave to each other while they were in love. So he asks her for a hand shake. This is to make sure that there shouldn't be any troublesome feelings when they meet in the future.

Here the poet personifies their 'love' as 'him'. He says love is breathing its last air and it's pulses are failing along the passion and innocence loosing themselves to death and oblivion.

In the couplet, the author speaks with a touch of hope in his tone. he says that this loss of all the qualities of their love can be brought back to life. And this can happen if she has the will to do it.