“A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

“A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew first appeared in 1640 as part of Poems, Songs, and Sonnets, a collection that was published posthumously. This lyric poem captures the essence of early 17th-century Cavalier poetry, known for its graceful exploration of love, beauty, and fleeting pleasures. The main ideas revolve around a plea to end questioning about love’s mysteries and transience, invoking the beauty of the natural world to symbolize the ephemeral nature of passion. The poem is celebrated for its delicate and refined language, reflecting Carew’s admiration for love’s idealized form while acknowledging its inevitable end. The work’s popularity stems from its elegant expression and the universal theme of impermanence in relationships, resonating with readers who appreciate both the beauty and sorrow of love’s fleeting nature. Carew’s lyrical style and skillful use of metaphor further cement the poem’s enduring appeal.

Text: “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

Annotations: “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

Line	Annotation
Ask me no more where Jove bestows,	Jove, or Jupiter, is the king of the gods in Roman mythology; Carew invokes his authority, suggesting mystery.
When June is past, the fading rose;	June symbolizes peak beauty; the rose represents transient beauty and the inevitability of decline.
For in your beauty’s orient deep	“Orient” refers to the east, symbolizing something precious; the speaker equates the beloved’s beauty with this.
These flowers, as in their causes, sleep.	The rose’s beauty is metaphorically preserved in the beloved, suggesting an eternal quality within them.
Ask me no more whither do stray	The poet asks the beloved not to question where things go, emphasizing the unknowable.
The golden atoms of the day;	“Golden atoms” symbolize sunlight or time, hinting at the divine nature of beauty and the passage of time.
For in pure love heaven did prepare	Heaven and love are united here, suggesting that the beloved’s beauty was divinely crafted.
Those powders to enrich your hair.	Sunlight (golden atoms) is poetically re-imagined as the glow or shine in the beloved’s hair.
Ask me no more whither doth haste	This line refers to the questioning of where natural phenomena go, hinting at fleeting beauty and mystery.
The nightingale, when May is past;	The nightingale is associated with spring and love; its absence symbolizes the end of a season of beauty.
For in your sweet dividing throat	The throat of the beloved is compared to the nightingale’s refuge, carrying her melody and warmth.
She winters, and keeps warm her note.	The nightingale finds a home in the beloved’s voice, suggesting her voice’s warmth and soothing quality.
Ask me no more where those stars ‘light,	The poet again redirects questioning, this time about falling stars, a mystery of the natural world.
That downwards fall in dead of night;	Falling stars are symbols of fleeting beauty and wishes; here they represent brief, beautiful phenomena.
For in your eyes they sit, and there	The beloved’s eyes are metaphorically the destination of falling stars, adding to their celestial quality.
Fixed become, as in their sphere.	Stars are “fixed” in the beloved’s eyes, suggesting permanence and an idealized vision of beauty.
Ask me no more if east or west	The poet refers to the phoenix’s elusive resting place, as in myth, it is never certain where it settles.
The phoenix builds her spicy nest;	The phoenix’s “spicy nest” symbolizes rebirth and regeneration, associated with aromatic woods like myrrh.
For unto you at last she flies,	The beloved becomes the final destination of the phoenix, representing unique and eternal beauty.
And in your fragrant bosom dies.	The beloved’s heart is where the phoenix dies and is reborn, embodying immortality through love and beauty.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

Device	Example	Explanation
Alliteration	“fading flower”	Repetition of the initial “f” sound enhances the musicality and flow of the line.
Allusion	“Jove” and “phoenix”	References to mythology (Jove as a god, phoenix as a symbol of rebirth) add depth and resonance.
Apostrophe	“Ask me no more”	The speaker directly addresses an absent person (the beloved), creating an intimate tone.
Assonance	“orient deep”	Repetition of the “e” sound adds to the lyrical quality of the poem.
Caesura	“Ask me no more where Jove bestows,”	The comma creates a pause, adding emphasis to the speaker’s request for no further questions.
Conceit	The beloved’s eyes as “stars”	An extended metaphor compares the beloved’s eyes to stars, emphasizing their beauty and constancy.
End Rhyme	“bestows” / “rose”; “night” / “light”	Rhyme at the end of lines enhances the structure and musicality of the poem.
Enjambment	“For in your beauty’s orient deep / These flowers”	The line runs onto the next, creating a sense of continuation and flow in the imagery.
Epistrophe	Repetition of “Ask me no more” at stanza beginnings	Repetition at the beginning of each stanza emphasizes the speaker’s reluctance to answer further.
Hyperbole	“Fixed become, as in their sphere.”	Exaggeration of the beloved’s eyes as the eternal home of stars, emphasizing their celestial beauty.
Imagery	“golden atoms of the day”	Vivid description appeals to the senses, portraying sunlight as tiny, precious particles.
Irony	The phoenix “in your fragrant bosom dies”	Irony lies in the idea of death within beauty, suggesting a paradox of rebirth and mortality in love.
Metaphor	“These flowers, as in their causes, sleep.”	The rose symbolizes transient beauty, which metaphorically “sleeps” within the beloved’s beauty.
Metonymy	“Your beauty’s orient deep”	“Orient” is used to symbolize the precious quality of the beloved’s beauty.
Personification	“flowers…sleep”	Flowers are given the human ability to “sleep,” indicating their rest in the beloved’s beauty.
Refrain	“Ask me no more”	This phrase is repeated, emphasizing the poem’s central plea for no further questioning.
Simile	“Fixed become, as in their sphere.”	The beloved’s eyes are compared to stars fixed in the sky, emphasizing permanence and clarity.
Symbolism	“rose,” “nightingale,” “phoenix”	Symbols of beauty, love, and rebirth, respectively, enrich the poem’s meditation on beauty and mortality.
Synecdoche	“powders to enrich your hair”	“Powders” represent the sunlight in a part-to-whole relationship, suggesting that light enhances beauty.
Transferred Epithet	“sweet dividing throat”	The adjective “sweet” applies to the nightingale’s song rather than the throat itself, intensifying imagery.

Themes: “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

1. Transience of Beauty and Nature: The poem underscores the fleeting nature of beauty through references to the changing seasons and natural phenomena. For instance, Carew mentions “the fading rose” after June has passed, symbolizing how beauty, much like the rose, is temporary and inevitably fades with time. Similarly, the poet refers to the nightingale, which departs once May is over, highlighting that beauty and joy are bound to cycles and seasons, unable to remain forever. This theme reflects a common Renaissance poetic meditation on beauty’s impermanence.
2. Idealization of the Beloved: Throughout the poem, Carew elevates the beloved to a near-mythical status, attributing celestial and divine qualities to her beauty. For example, he describes her eyes as the resting place of falling stars, suggesting that her beauty has an eternal and almost otherworldly quality, as if the stars have found their true home in her gaze. By comparing her to divine figures and natural wonders, Carew places the beloved beyond ordinary human beauty, representing an idealized form of perfection.
3. Mystery and the Unknowable: The repeated line, “Ask me no more,” serves to create an aura of mystery, suggesting that some aspects of beauty, love, and life are beyond human understanding. Carew refuses to explain where the “golden atoms of the day” go or where the phoenix flies, indicating that certain phenomena, particularly those related to beauty and love, are shrouded in mystery. This theme suggests that not everything in life needs to be explained; sometimes, it is enough to admire beauty without probing its origins or nature.
4. Union of Love and Nature: Carew intricately connects the beloved’s beauty to elements of nature, such as flowers, sunlight, and mythical creatures like the phoenix. For instance, he notes that the powders of “golden atoms” (symbolizing sunlight) enrich her hair, as if nature itself contributes to her loveliness. In doing so, he blurs the line between human beauty and natural wonders, showing that the beloved’s allure is a part of the natural world’s beauty. This theme reflects a Renaissance idea of harmony between human love and nature, where the beloved is seen as a natural, sublime creation deserving of reverence.

Literary Theories and “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

Literary Theory	Explanation	References from the Poem
Formalism	Formalism focuses on analyzing the poem’s structure, language, and use of poetic devices without considering the author’s biography or historical context.	Carew’s use of rhetorical repetition (“Ask me no more”) and vivid imagery, like “fading rose” and “golden atoms of the day,” enhances the poem’s lyrical quality and theme of beauty.
Mythological Criticism	This theory examines the role of myths, symbols, and archetypes in the poem, exploring how they create universal meanings and connect with shared human experience.	References to “Jove,” the “nightingale,” and the “phoenix” invoke mythological and natural symbols, representing eternal beauty, rebirth, and divinity in the beloved’s qualities.
Romanticism	Romanticism emphasizes the beauty of nature, emotional depth, and the idealization of love and the beloved, often seeing beauty as an eternal truth.	The beloved’s beauty is idealized as eternal, with metaphors like the beloved’s eyes as stars and her presence as a home for natural beauty (“These flowers… sleep” within her beauty).

Critical Questions about “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

• How does Carew’s use of natural imagery shape the reader’s perception of the beloved’s beauty?
• Carew repeatedly employs natural imagery, such as “the fading rose,” “golden atoms of the day,” and “the nightingale,” to illustrate the beloved’s beauty in relation to the natural world. These images create a dual perception of her beauty as both transient, like the rose that fades after June, and enduring, as it becomes the final resting place of elements like the stars. This question probes how nature’s ephemerality and constancy in Carew’s imagery enhance our understanding of his idealized vision of the beloved and whether it implies a connection to something eternal within her beauty.
• What is the significance of the repeated refrain, “Ask me no more,” and how does it influence the tone of the poem?
• The refrain, “Ask me no more,” serves as both a plea and a command, setting a contemplative and somewhat wistful tone. It suggests that some mysteries, particularly those surrounding beauty and love, are beyond explanation and should be accepted rather than questioned. Each stanza introduces a rhetorical question only to have the speaker deflect it, preserving an air of mystery around the beloved. This question encourages analysis of how the refrain might reflect Carew’s view on the limitations of language and understanding when describing beauty and whether it implies reverence or frustration.
• How does Carew’s idealization of the beloved reflect broader themes of Renaissance poetry, particularly in the context of love and beauty?
• Renaissance poets frequently celebrated idealized love, blending divine, mythological, and natural elements to exalt the beloved. Carew’s description of his beloved as embodying “the golden atoms of the day” or as the final home of the “phoenix” elevates her to a celestial level, emphasizing an unattainable, almost divine form of beauty. This question invites readers to consider how Carew’s poem fits within Renaissance traditions, exploring how he employs idealization and mythological allusions to elevate human beauty and emotion to the sublime and whether this idealization implies a separation between idealized and real-world love.
• In what ways does the poem explore the theme of mystery in relation to beauty, and what might this suggest about Carew’s perspective on love?
• Carew’s poem emphasizes the unknowable aspects of beauty through repeated questions and refusals to answer, suggesting that beauty, like certain natural phenomena, is shrouded in mystery. By stating, “Ask me no more,” the speaker implies that beauty’s true nature transcends human understanding. This question leads to a deeper exploration of whether Carew’s focus on the enigmatic qualities of beauty reflects a perspective that true love and beauty are beyond reason and intellect, existing as sacred or mystical experiences that cannot be fully grasped, only appreciated.

Literary Works Similar to “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

1. “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
   This poem shares themes of fleeting beauty and the passage of time, urging the beloved to seize the moment as beauty and life are transient.
2. “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare
   Like Carew, Shakespeare idealizes the beloved’s beauty, using natural imagery to immortalize her in poetic form and contrast her with the transience of nature.
3. “Song: To Celia” by Ben Jonson
   Jonson’s poem, similar in tone, elevates the beloved with divine and mystical comparisons, creating an idealized portrayal of love and beauty.
4. “The Good-Morrow” by John Donne
   Donne explores an intimate and idealized vision of love, describing it in elevated and transcendent terms, akin to Carew’s idealization of the beloved.
5. “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns
   Burns, like Carew, uses rich natural imagery to convey intense admiration and devotion to the beloved, comparing her beauty to elements of nature.

Representative Quotations of “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“Ask me no more where Jove bestows”	The speaker begins by asking the beloved to cease questioning, setting a contemplative and mysterious tone.	Formalism: Focuses on the refrain as a stylistic device enhancing tone.
“When June is past, the fading rose”	The rose, a symbol of beauty, fades after its peak, illustrating the impermanence of beauty.	Romanticism: Emphasizes nature as symbolic of beauty’s transience.
“For in your beauty’s orient deep”	The speaker locates beauty in the beloved, equating it to something precious and rare like the Orient.	Aestheticism: Highlights the beauty ideal as precious and exotic.
“Ask me no more whither do stray / The golden atoms of the day”	The speaker alludes to sunlight as “golden atoms,” associating it with divinity and mystery.	Mythological Criticism: Light as a divine element that enriches beauty.
“For in pure love heaven did prepare / Those powders to enrich your hair.”	Suggests that the beloved’s beauty is a divine creation, destined to be admired.	Transcendentalism: Links beauty to a divine and universal origin.
“Ask me no more whither doth haste / The nightingale”	Refers to the nightingale, symbolic of song and love, which appears to reside in the beloved.	Symbolism: Uses the nightingale to symbolize love and beauty’s warmth.
“For in your sweet dividing throat / She winters, and keeps warm her note.”	The beloved’s voice becomes a refuge for the nightingale, blending nature with human beauty.	Romanticism: Idealizes nature as intertwined with the beloved’s beauty.
“Ask me no more where those stars ‘light”	Stars falling from the sky represent beauty’s mystical, elusive quality that finds a resting place in the beloved.	Existentialism: Beauty is mysterious, finding meaning in human love.
“For in your eyes they sit, and there / Fixed become, as in their sphere.”	Stars are metaphorically “fixed” in the beloved’s eyes, suggesting an eternal quality.	Formalism: Uses metaphor to convey idealized, immutable beauty.
“Ask me no more if east or west / The phoenix builds her spicy nest”	Refers to the phoenix, a mythical creature symbolizing rebirth, which ultimately seeks refuge in the beloved.	Mythological Criticism: Uses the phoenix to convey rebirth in love.

Suggested Readings: “A Song (Ask Me No More)” by Thomas Carew

1. Powell, C. L. “New Material on Thomas Carew.” The Modern Language Review, vol. 11, no. 3, 1916, pp. 285–97. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3713526. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
2. PARKER, MICHAEL P. “‘All Are Not Born (Sir) to the Bay’: ‘Fack’ Suckling, ‘Tom’ Carew, and the Making of a Poet.” English Literary Renaissance, vol. 12, no. 3, 1982, pp. 341–68. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43447085. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
3. Carew, Thomas. “Thomas Carew.” Poetry of World Literature (2024): 35.
4. Hannaford, Renée. “‘Express’d by Mee’: Carew on Donne and Jonson.” Studies in Philology, vol. 84, no. 1, 1987, pp. 61–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4174258. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.