Poetry: Whoso list to hunt

I guess I am in poetic moods these days. Surprisingly enough, I used to despise poetry. I denounced it as rubbish, even the Shakespeare ones! In every English course, I used to dread, absolutely dread, and cry out in horror, during the poetry units. It turns out, that one just needs a good teacher to guide through the terrains of poetry. Now, you may not like all poetry, and I'm sure no one can honestly love every verse of every line ever written; however, you can at least learn to understand poems and appreciate them as an art form. Here is one of my favorite poems, one which I had learned of last spring. It is written by Sir Thomas Wyatt, the Elder. Now, you may think that all these poets were a bunch of sissy Romeos toying with words, but it turns out, some were more like Don Juans toying with words.

Whoso list to hunt

Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind, But as for me, alas, I may no more. The vain travail hath wearied me so sore, I am of them that farthest cometh behind. Yet may I, by no means, my wearied mind Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore, Fainting I follow. I leave off, therefore, Since in a net I seek to hold the wind. Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt, As well as I, may spend his time in vain. And graven with diamonds in letters plain There is written, her fair neck round about, "Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am, And wild for to hold, though I seem tame."

The last two lines of the poem is what caught my interest, actually. For those who are infamiliar with poetry, or face poetrophobia, allow me to be blunt in this rendition of "Whoso list to hunt" for dummies.

The first four lines, indicate that the narrator, along with a few others, are on a hunt. Whether this be literal or figurative, you decide on your own. But it seems that the speaker, is not too enthusiastic about the hunt -- he knows well the joy of hunting and he seems to be quite knowledgeable; however, he is kind of faking his attitude.

Then, in the next four lines, the speaker shows that he is still interested in the hunt, but for some reason, he's not excited about it -- there is something going on with the deer that makes it a forbidden fruit.

"Since in a net I seek to hold the wind" is so delicately worded! What happens when you try to trap the wind with a net? That is how he describes his hunt for the deer. It is the last four lines that finally gives away the speaker's soul -- the deer belongs to a "Caesar" and cannot be hunted.

If you take into account that Wyatt was accused of having an affair with Anne Boleyn, and had to witness her execution and the other alleged lovers (he was spared), the poem sort of makes sense. Although, it may or may not at all be about his relationship with Anne Boleyn. That is up for you to interpret.

That was our poetry lesson of tonight.