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George Herbert (1593-1633)

The Quip


              1  The merry World did on a day
              2With his train-bands and mates agree
              3To meet together where I lay,
              4And all in sport to jeer at me.

              5  First Beauty crept into a rose,
              6Which when I pluck'd not, "Sir," said she,
              7"Tell me, I pray, whose hands are those?"
              8But Thou shalt answer, Lord, for me.

              9  Then Money came, and chinking still,
            10"What tune is this, poor man?" said he;
            11"I heard in music you had skill:"
            12But Thou shalt answer, Lord, for me.

            13  Then came brave Glory puffing by
            14In silks that whistled, who but he?
            15He scarce allow'd me half an eye:
            16But Thou shalt answer, Lord, for me.

            17  Then came quick Wit and Conversation,
            18And he would needs a comfort be,
            19And, to be short, make an oration:
            20But Thou shalt answer, Lord, for me.

            21  Yet when the hour of Thy design
            22To answer these fine things shall come,
            23Speak not at large, say, I am Thine;
            24And then they have their answer home.

Notes

1] The word "quip" is an abbreviation of "quid pro quo" and means a retort, a sharp reply. Such a reply is made in the last stanza..

2] train-bands: militia.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: George Herbert, The temple. Sacred poems and private ejaculations, edited by N. Ferrar (Cambridge: T. Buck and R. Daniel, 1633). STC 13183. Facs. edn. Menston: Scolar Press, 1968. PR 3507 T45 1633A. Also The Bodleian Manuscript of George Herbert's Poems: A Facsimile of Tanner 307, Introduced by Amy M. Charles and Mario A. Di Cesare. Delmar: Scholars' Facsimiles and Reprints, 1984. PR 3507 T45 1984 Robarts Library.
First publication date: 1633
RPO poem editor: N. J. Endicott
RP edition: 2RP.1.319; RPO 1996-2000.
Recent editing: 2:2002/2/13

Form: sonnet
Rhyme: ababcdcdefefgg

Other poems by George Herbert

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