Nymphs Reply to the Shepard

"The Nymphs reply to the Shepherd"

"As she lay there in the sun thinking to herself ‘does he love me or does he not?' Thinking of every precious gift he has promised her. The rolling valleys to the steeply hills, to the finest gown to the buckles made of the purest gold but as summer fades as does our fun. The Shepherd will promise a life full of love." Every young girl back in Elizabethan times would be promised a life of happiness and joy but this certain young girl would reply to show that not all Sheppard's tell the truth.

As the Shepherd writes to his fair lady he promises her a life of happiness surrounded by beautiful land. Not all of these young ladies fell for such talk. She tares him apart saying in the summer its great but once winter comes "rivers will rage and rocks, grow colds.' (6) The young woman act as if she thinks her love from the Shepherd will change. She shows it when she says "its fancy spring but sorrow's fall." (12) She shows him it will take more than these promises to win her love. Not only does she say that the beauty of land will fade she criticizes him of the gown he's made for her.

She shows that these promises of land and gowns made out of the best will not please her to go with him and be his love. At first when you get the gown you love it with all you heart as time continues your love will fade. She expresses this through saying "soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten."(15) She lets him know that she is much smarter than the average young girl and he is going to have to do a lot better than promise her one gown. She again represents that love will fade as the seasons change by saying "in folly ripe, in seasons rotten."(16) She keeps telling him that in time the love will be no more.

After she denies him her love, she goes on to say that these "presents" he has promised her just