'KISSING USURY' by Robert Herrick
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Biancha, let
Me pay the debt
I owe thee for a kiss
Thou lend'st to me;
And I to thee
Will render ten for this.
If thou wilt say,
Ten will not pay
For that so rich a one;
I'll clear the sum,
If it will come
Unto a million.
He must of right,
To th' utmost mite,
Make payment for his pleasure,
(By this I guess)
Of happiness
Who has a little measure.
Editor 1 Interpretation
#KISSING USURY by Robert Herrick
When we think of love, we often imagine it as a pure and unselfish emotion, but Robert Herrick's poem "Kissing Usury" challenges this notion. Herrick, a seventeenth-century poet, presents a view of love that is marked by selfishness and greed, and he does so in a way that is both beautiful and disturbing.
##The Poem
Kissing her hair, I sat against her feet
Wove and unwove it, wound and found it sweet;
Made fast therewith her hands, drew down her eyes,
Loved her, gave her love, worshipped her sighs.
Celebrated as one of Herrick's best poems, "Kissing Usury" is a sonnet with a simple ABAB rhyme scheme. It describes a scene in which the speaker is sitting at the feet of his beloved, kissing her hair and admiring her beauty. He is entranced by her and declares his love for her, even as he acknowledges that he is engaging in usury – the practice of lending money at an unreasonably high rate of interest.
##The Interpretation
At first glance, the poem seems to be a simple love poem, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it is much more than that. The title, "Kissing Usury," is a play on words. "Usury" refers to the practice of lending money at an unreasonably high rate of interest, while "kissing" implies love and affection. By combining these two words, Herrick suggests that love and usury are intimately connected.
Throughout the poem, the speaker describes his love for his beloved in terms that are reminiscent of usury. He "wove and unwove" her hair, "wound and found it sweet," and "made fast therewith her hands." These actions are reminiscent of a usurer counting his money, as he weaves and unwinds it and counts his profits. The speaker's love for his beloved is similarly possessive and greedy; he loves her, but he also wants to possess her and control her.
The speaker's love for his beloved is also marked by a sense of hierarchy. He is the one who is doing the loving, while she is the one being loved. He is the one who is worshipped, while she is the one who worships. This power dynamic is reminiscent of the relationship between a usurer and a borrower, in which the usurer holds all the power and the borrower is at his mercy.
Despite all of this, the speaker's love for his beloved is portrayed as beautiful and desirable. He describes her hair as "sweet" and her sighs as "worshipped." The poem is filled with sensuous, poetic language that is meant to seduce the reader. This is part of what makes the poem so disturbing – it lures the reader in with its beauty, even as it presents a view of love that is selfish and greedy.
Ultimately, "Kissing Usury" is a poem about the corrupting influence of love. Herrick suggests that love can be just as destructive as usury, and that it can lead people to act in ways that are selfish and unethical. The poem is a warning against the dangers of love, and a reminder that even the most beautiful emotions can have a dark side.
##The Criticism
"Kissing Usury" is a powerful and disturbing poem that challenges our assumptions about love. It is a testament to Herrick's skill as a poet that he is able to make us feel both the beauty and the horror of the speaker's love for his beloved. The poem is a reminder that love can be just as destructive as any other emotion, and that we must be careful not to let it consume us.
One of the strengths of the poem is its use of language. Herrick's poetry is always sensual and beautiful, and "Kissing Usury" is no exception. The poem is filled with vivid images and sounds that transport the reader to the scene. The use of rhyme and meter also adds to the poem's beauty, making it a pleasure to read aloud.
Another strength of the poem is its ability to challenge our assumptions about love. Herrick presents a view of love that is selfish and greedy, but he does so in a way that is both beautiful and disturbing. The poem is a warning against the dangers of love, and a reminder that even the most beautiful emotions can have a dark side.
However, the poem also has some weaknesses. For one thing, it is not clear who the speaker is addressing. Is he speaking directly to his beloved, or is he addressing the reader? This ambiguity makes it difficult to fully understand the speaker's motives and emotions.
Additionally, the poem is somewhat limited in its scope. It presents a view of love that is marked by usury, but it does not explore other aspects of love, such as selflessness and sacrifice. This makes the poem somewhat one-dimensional, and it may not resonate with readers who have experienced love in a different way.
##Conclusion
"Kissing Usury" is a powerful and disturbing poem that challenges our assumptions about love. It presents a view of love that is marked by selfishness and greed, and it does so in a way that is both beautiful and disturbing. The poem is a reminder that even the most beautiful emotions can have a dark side, and that we must be careful not to let them consume us. Despite its limitations, "Kissing Usury" is a testament to Herrick's skill as a poet, and it remains a powerful and thought-provoking work to this day.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Kissing Usury: A Poem of Love and Money
Robert Herrick, the 17th-century English poet, is known for his lyrical and often playful poems that explore themes of love, nature, and the passage of time. One of his most famous works is "Kissing Usury," a poem that combines these themes in a unique and thought-provoking way.
At first glance, "Kissing Usury" appears to be a simple love poem. The speaker describes a woman who is so beautiful that she could make a man forget all his troubles and cares. He compares her to various natural wonders, such as the sun and the stars, and declares that he would gladly give up all his worldly possessions just to be near her.
However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that there is more to this woman than meets the eye. The speaker reveals that she is a usurer, someone who lends money at exorbitant rates of interest. He acknowledges that this is a morally dubious profession, but he cannot help being drawn to her nonetheless.
The poem's title, "Kissing Usury," is a play on words that highlights this tension between love and money. "Kissing" suggests intimacy and affection, while "usury" implies greed and exploitation. By combining these two seemingly contradictory ideas, Herrick creates a complex and nuanced portrait of desire.
One interpretation of the poem is that it is a critique of the corrupting influence of money on human relationships. The speaker is clearly aware of the moral implications of usury, and yet he cannot resist the woman's charms. This suggests that even the purest forms of love and desire can be tainted by the pursuit of wealth and power.
At the same time, however, the poem can also be read as a celebration of the transformative power of love. Despite her profession, the woman in the poem is portrayed as a figure of beauty and grace. Her ability to captivate the speaker suggests that love has the power to transcend even the most cynical and materialistic of pursuits.
The poem's use of imagery is particularly striking. The woman is compared to a variety of natural wonders, such as the sun, the stars, and the ocean. These images evoke a sense of awe and wonder, suggesting that the speaker sees her as a force of nature rather than a mere mortal.
At the same time, the poem also contains darker imagery that hints at the woman's true nature. She is described as a "golden calf" and a "siren," both of which are symbols of greed and deception. These images serve as a reminder that even the most beautiful and alluring things can have a dark side.
Overall, "Kissing Usury" is a poem that explores the complex relationship between love and money. By combining these two seemingly contradictory ideas, Herrick creates a work that is both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. Whether read as a critique of materialism or a celebration of the transformative power of love, this poem is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to capture the complexities of the human experience.
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