The lark now leaves his wat'ry nest

Sir William Davenant's The lark now leaves his wat'ry nest

Introduction

Sir William Davenant's "The lark now leaves his wat'ry nest" represents a masterful fusion of Metaphysical wit and Cavalier grace, embodying the transitional period between these two dominant poetic movements of seventeenth-century England. Through its carefully constructed metaphorical framework, the poem weaves together natural imagery, courtly love traditions, and cosmic ordering in a manner that both honors and subtly subverts conventional dawn song (aubade) traditions.

Historical and Literary ContextThe lark now leaves his wat'ry nest

Davenant, who succeeded Ben Jonson as Poet Laureate in 1638, wrote during a period of significant political and cultural upheaval in England. This particular poem reflects the sophisticated courtly culture of the Caroline era, while simultaneously demonstrating the influence of John Donne's revolutionary approach to love poetry. The poem's composition date remains somewhat uncertain, but its style and themes suggest it was written during Davenant's early career, when he was establishing himself in court circles.

Structural Analysis

The poem consists of twelve lines arranged in two sestets, each following a distinct but complementary pattern. The first sestet employs an ABABCC rhyme scheme, while the second follows ABABCC as well, creating a balanced and harmonious structure. This architectural precision serves the poem's thematic development, as each sestet builds upon the previous one to construct an elaborate conceit comparing the beloved to the sun itself.

The Natural and the Cosmic: A Metaphysical Framework

The opening lines immediately establish the poem's central tension between the natural and the artificial, the cosmic and the intimate. The lark, traditionally associated with dawn in English poetry, is presented in an unusual manner: its nest is "wat'ry," suggesting perhaps morning dew but also introducing a sense of fluidity and mutability that permeates the poem. The bird's ascension is described in physical, almost tactile terms ("climbing, shakes his dewy wings"), yet this mundane action is immediately transformed into something metaphysically significant.

The Window as Threshold

The third line, "He takes this window for the east," serves as the poem's pivotal metaphor, collapsing the distance between the cosmic and the domestic. This confusion of categories – the window of the beloved's chamber being mistaken for the point of sunrise – establishes the poem's central conceit: that the lady's awakening is not merely like the dawn but is, in fact, the dawn itself. This transformation of conventional Petrarchan imagery into something more complex and philosophically challenging reveals Davenant's debt to the Metaphysical tradition.

The Voice of Authority

The shift to direct speech in the first sestet's final couplet marks a change in both tone and perspective. The lark becomes a herald, not merely announcing the dawn but actively advocating for it. The repetition of "Awake, awake!" carries both urgency and authority, while the claim that "the morn will never rise, / Till she can dress her beauty at your eyes" presents a complete inversion of natural order that is nevertheless presented as logical within the poem's constructed world.

The Social Hierarchy of Observation

The second sestet expands the poem's scope by introducing a series of social types – merchant, seaman, ploughman – each with their own relationship to celestial bodies. This catalogue serves multiple purposes: it establishes a social hierarchy, demonstrates the universal human dependence on heavenly bodies for guidance, and sets up the lover's position as both parallel to and distinct from these conventional relationships.

The Lover's Paradox

The lover's position in this hierarchy is particularly complex. While others look to the stars or sun for practical guidance, the lover "wonders what they are," suggesting both his bewilderment and his transcendence of ordinary categories of understanding. The use of "wonders" is particularly rich, encompassing both confusion and amazement, while also suggesting the philosophical wonder that leads to deeper understanding.

The Final Imperative

The poem's conclusion returns to direct address but with a significant shift in imagery. The "veils of lawn" and curtains introduce a new set of barriers between the lover and the beloved, while also referring back to the poem's earlier concern with vision and revelation. The command to "begin the dawn" completes the poem's central conceit: the beloved is not merely like the sun; she actively creates the day through her awakening.

Technical Mastery and Innovation

Throughout the poem, Davenant demonstrates remarkable control over meter and sound. The predominant iambic tetrameter of the first four lines of each sestet gives way to iambic pentameter in the couplets, creating a sense of expansion that mirrors the poem's thematic movement from the particular to the universal. The use of alliteration ("still the lover," "break thro'") and assonance ("seaman's star") creates a musical quality that supports the poem's lyrical nature while never overwhelming its intellectual complexity.

Conclusion

"The lark now leaves his wat'ry nest" represents a significant achievement in seventeenth-century English poetry, demonstrating how the excesses of Petrarchan convention could be transformed through Metaphysical wit and social awareness into something both intellectually sophisticated and emotionally genuine. Davenant's ability to fuse multiple traditions – the dawn song, the love lyric, the metaphysical poem – while maintaining both coherence and grace marks this as a work worthy of continued scholarly attention. The poem's exploration of the relationship between cosmic and social order, between natural and artificial light, and between conventional and personal forms of devotion speaks to both its historical moment and to enduring questions about the nature of love and perception.

Implications for Further Study

This analysis suggests several directions for future research, including more detailed examination of the poem's relationship to contemporary scientific developments in optics and astronomy, its position within the larger tradition of English dawn songs, and its influence on later seventeenth-century poetry. Additionally, the poem's sophisticated treatment of gender and power relations within the context of courtly love traditions merits further investigation, particularly in relation to changing social and political structures in Caroline England.

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