The Beggar to Mab, the Fairy Queen

Robert Herrick's The Beggar to Mab, the Fairy Queen

Robert Herrick’s "The Beggar to Mab, the Fairy Queen" is a striking example of 17th-century lyric poetry that blends whimsy with social commentary. A lesser-known work in Herrick’s vast oeuvre, this poem encapsulates the tensions between abundance and scarcity, the supernatural and the mundane, and the hierarchies that govern both fairy courts and human societies. Written during the tumultuous period of the English Civil War, the poem reflects Herrick’s characteristic wit, his engagement with folklore, and his subtle critique of economic disparity. Through its playful yet poignant plea for sustenance, the poem invites readers to consider the nature of charity, the value of the marginal, and the intersection between fairy mythology and human suffering.

This analysis will explore the poem’s historical and literary context, its use of imagery and diction, its thematic preoccupations, and its emotional resonance. By situating the poem within Herrick’s broader body of work and the socio-political climate of the 17th century, we can better appreciate its layered meanings and its enduring relevance.

Historical and Literary Context

Robert Herrick (1591-1674) was a Cavalier poet, a clergyman, and a contemporary of Ben Jonson, whose influence is evident in Herrick’s polished yet accessible verse. Best known for Hesperides, a collection of over 1,200 poems, Herrick often wrote about rural life, classical mythology, and Christian themes, blending pagan and Christian imagery with ease. His work is marked by a delicate balance between hedonism and piety, between celebration and melancholy.

"The Beggar to Mab, the Fairy Queen" emerges from a tradition of fairy poetry popular in the Renaissance and early modern periods. Queen Mab, a figure borrowed from English folklore and immortalized in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was often depicted as a mischievous but powerful fairy ruler. Herrick’s invocation of Mab situates the poem within a literary tradition that used fairy mythology to explore human desires, fears, and social structures.

The mid-17th century was a time of upheaval in England, with the Civil War (1642-1651) disrupting traditional hierarchies and leaving many in poverty. Herrick himself was ejected from his parish in 1647 due to his Royalist sympathies, an experience that may have sharpened his sensitivity to themes of displacement and need. The beggar’s plea in this poem can thus be read as both a literal request for sustenance and a metaphorical commentary on the instability of the era.

Imagery and Diction: The Aesthetics of Deprivation

The poem’s power lies in its vivid, almost grotesque imagery, which oscillates between the fantastical and the pitiable. The beggar’s request is not for conventional food but for the minute, often repulsive scraps of the fairy world:

"Give me then an ant to eat,
Or the cleft ear of a mouse
Over-sour'd in drink of souce;
Or, sweet lady, reach to me
The abdomen of a bee..."

These lines are striking in their specificity and their deliberate embrace of the unappetizing. The "cleft ear of a mouse" and the "abdomen of a bee" are not just symbols of extreme poverty but also of the beggar’s willingness to accept the most meager offerings. The diction here is both playful and unsettling, forcing the reader to confront the reality of hunger in a world where even fairies—traditionally associated with abundance—hoard their resources.

Herrick’s use of diminutives ("a little bit / Of a pease that 'gins to chit") further emphasizes the beggar’s humility and desperation. The reference to "flour of fuz-balls" (spores from puffball fungi) as "too good / For a man in needy-hood" underscores a bitter irony: the beggar acknowledges his lowly status, internalizing the idea that he is unworthy of even the most trivial luxuries.

Themes: Charity, Hierarchy, and the Supernatural

At its core, the poem is a meditation on charity and the moral obligations of the powerful. The beggar’s address to Mab is both supplicating and subtly reproachful. He does not demand but negotiates, acknowledging the fairy queen’s abundance while hinting at its unequal distribution:

"Please your Grace, from out your store
Give an alms to one that's poor,
That your mickle may have more."

The phrase "that your mickle may have more" (mickle meaning "great amount") suggests a paradox of generosity: that by giving, the giver’s wealth increases, whether spiritually or materially. This aligns with Christian teachings on charity, a theme Herrick, as a clergyman, would have known well. Yet the poem also critiques the fairy court’s excesses—why should Mab possess so much while the beggar starves?

The supernatural setting allows Herrick to explore these themes without direct political confrontation. Fairies, like aristocrats, are capricious rulers, and the beggar’s plea mirrors the petitions of the poor to indifferent nobility. The final lines—

"So a blessing light upon
You, and mighty Oberon;
That your plenty last till when
I return your alms again."

—carry a hint of irony. The beggar’s promise to return the alms implies a cyclical economy of giving, but given his extreme poverty, this seems unlikely. Is this a genuine blessing, or a sly critique of empty aristocratic benevolence?

Comparative Readings and Philosophical Underpinnings

Herrick’s poem can be fruitfully compared to other beggar narratives in Renaissance literature, such as King Lear’s encounter with Poor Tom, or the pauper’s pleas in John Donne’s holy sonnets. Like these works, "The Beggar to Mab" forces readers to confront the humanity of the destitute.

Philosophically, the poem engages with the concept of caritas (Christian love and charity) and the classical notion of xenia (guest-friendship, the obligation to share with strangers). The beggar’s request for "any orts the elves refuse" (leftovers) echoes biblical parables where the marginalized are fed from the crumbs of the rich (Mark 7:28). Herrick thus blends folklore with moral theology, creating a work that is both whimsical and deeply ethical.

Emotional Impact and Modern Relevance

Despite its fairy-tale veneer, the poem evokes a profound sense of pathos. The beggar’s voice is not one of despair but of weary resilience, making his plight all the more affecting. The juxtaposition of the magical and the squalid—fairy banquets and mouse ears—creates a dissonance that lingers in the reader’s mind.

In an age of widening economic inequality, Herrick’s poem remains startlingly relevant. The beggar’s plea could easily be transposed to modern contexts, where the marginalized are forced to subsist on society’s refuse while the powerful amass obscene wealth. The poem challenges us to consider: Who is our Mab? And what does it mean to give truly, rather than merely to dispose of excess?

Conclusion

"The Beggar to Mab, the Fairy Queen" is a masterful fusion of fairy lore, social critique, and lyrical beauty. Through its inventive imagery and layered irony, Herrick crafts a poem that is at once playful and profound, whimsical and weighty. By situating human suffering within a supernatural framework, he universalizes the beggar’s plight, inviting readers to reflect on their own obligations to the less fortunate.

In an era where poetry often serves as both escape and confrontation, Herrick’s work reminds us of the power of verse to illuminate the darkest corners of society—even through the flickering light of fairy gold.