Bust portrait of Robert Herrick, 17th century English poet, from a rare print by W Marshal
One of the great love poems in the English language is Robert Herrick’s (1591 – 1674) poem ‘To Sylvia , to Wed’. The poem was published in 1674 in a collection of Herrick’s poems called ‘Hesperides’. You will find a transcription of it at: poets.org The last line of this extremely short poem is . . .
“No Man can at one time be wise and love.”
The truth of these words by Herrick have often struck me, and I have been led to compose the following poem to amplify my thoughts on the beauty of the words and the wisdom which they hold . . .
Love and Wisdom
Great truth lies here
For love consumes the soul
Drives out the rational
In favour of those headstrong thoughts
Those unconsidered deeds
Which couple love with lust
And joy with pain
Breaching reason
As a burst dam
Floods life’s valleys
As the wildfire strips life’s undergrowth
Devouring what it most values
In the thoughtless rush and swell
Of its inflamed ardour
Roland's Ragbag 
A great inspiration, your verse reads as it flowed easily and to me reads in a runaway, rush sort of way which I like as it has great impact, much as new love/lust does.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You express an interesting perspective, Nigel. Yes, in fact pretty well the whole came to me in one of those all-too-few moments of creative urge.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The wildfire analogy is excellent
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your encouraging response, Derrick.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An excellent quote and a wonderful piece of poetry in response to it Roland. It is true that when love walks in one door, wisdom walks out the other. Will we ever find an answer to tackle it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
… I very much doubt it, Davy. Little has changed in that department since the 17th Century.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Roland, I was hoping you had some secret you could share. Looks like love and my size 10s will have to continue along the rocky road.
LikeLiked by 1 person
. . . I thought policemen had bigger feet than that !?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mine wore down with all the pounding of the beat I had to do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
… the original beat-nik-em man!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Roland, I do love your poem and especially your last stanza. However, I cannot see how
love in its fullness can destroy wisdom. Lust, yes, that can be like temporary madness.
Seeing as you guys will disagree 😊 I took Plato and Socrates with me. Surely love make us come alive. It goes with passion, devotion and warmth
” In the Symposium, the most famous ancient work on the subject, Plato has Socrates argue that eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty, and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth, the ideal “Form” of youthful beauty that leads us humans to feel erotic desire – thus suggesting that even that sensually based love aspires to the non-corporeal, spiritual plane of existence; that is, finding its truth, ”
Miriam
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are right on all counts, Miriam, but, that doesn’t, to my mind, disallow the fact that, for some, and in some intense situations, love can make one blind to reality and, consequently, capable of irrational thought and action.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course you are right there Roland. Love can be blind and so make us quite capable of irrational actions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I admit to being no sort of an expert on such matters . . . but, who is!?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love is irrational but lust is crazed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That about sums it up, Jerry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful poem Roland. I agree, many irrational actions have been done in the name of love. Whether it be love of country, love of God or love of a woman.
LikeLike