Questions and answers on the poem One day I wrote her name
Table of Contents
Long Answer Types of Questions and Answers
Write down the critical appreciation of the poem “One day I wrote her name”
Spenser’s Amoretti is a collection of love poems written for Elizabeth Boyle, whom he later marries. These poems tell a love story without any guilt or regret, showing the lover’s ups and downs until they finally find happiness. Unlike Sidney’s unique style or Shakespeare’s complaints about his mistress, Spenser’s Sonnet No. 75 (“One day I wrote her name upon the sand”) talks about the idea of things being temporary versus lasting forever.
Sonnet No. 75 is about the problem of time and the temporary nature of the world versus the lasting nature of love, shown through great poetry. The sonnet is also known for its dramatic feel. Even though lyrical (musical and emotional) and dramatic (theatrical and intense) are usually opposites, Spenser beautifully blends them together. In this sonnet, Spenser shares his personal views on writing poetry, but he does so through a dramatic situation and a conversation between him and his beloved.
The sonnet starts with a romantic scene where the poet and his beloved are sitting on the beach, feeling love in the air. The poet writes his beloved’s name in the sand, but the sea waves come and wash it away. He writes it again, and the waves erase it once more. The beloved watches this playful struggle and enjoys the moment. Finally, she protests, saying that she is just an ordinary, fragile, and temporary person, and that neither her name nor she herself can last beyond death. Thus;
“Vain man,” said she, “that dost in vain assay,
A mortal thing so to immortalize;
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wiped out likewise.”
Even though the beloved doubts and dismisses the idea, the poet confidently says that their love will last forever, even after death. The poet believes that while ordinary things don’t last, his beloved is special and will live on forever.
The poet’s belief is not wrong or foolish. It is actually a poetic idea. While human life ends in death, art can last forever. The poet wants to express his love for his beloved through his excellent poetry. He believes that their love will live on in his poems, even after they are gone.
In the final lines of the sonnet, the poet expresses his belief that love and poetry can overcome death. He imagines that even when death comes, their love will continue and be renewed in the afterlife. This idea of defeating death through love and art is common in Renaissance poetry, and Spenser beautifully presents it in “Sonnet No. 75.”
Spenser’s Sonnet 75, “One Day I Wrote Her Name,” talks about love, life, and the lasting power of poetry. While it is praised for its vivid imagery and deep emotions, it has also been analyzed and debated. The poem uses strong images like the “tide” and “waves” to show how life and love are temporary. The speaker’s efforts to keep his beloved’s memory alive against time’s passing create a feeling of sadness and determination. It also asks deep questions about the meaning of love and what we leave behind after we die.
However, some critics think the poem supports a view where the male speaker wants to make the female subject immortal without considering her own wishes. Additionally, the metaphor of “writing on sand” is seen by some as unoriginal or overused, and the speaker’s strong emotions and declarations might seem too dramatic or excessive.
In Spenser’s “Sonnet 75,” literary devices like simile (comparing love to writing in the sand), antanaclasis (repeating “vain” with different meanings), and alliteration (repeating consonant sounds) enhance its impact. The poem’s form is a Spenserian sonnet with a rhyme scheme (ABABBCBCCDCDEE) and iambic pentameter meter. It uses enjambment to flow between lines and personification to give qualities to nature. The extended metaphor of writing on sand symbolizes love’s impermanence against poetry’s ability to preserve memories. These elements together create a poignant exploration of love and mortality.
To understand the poem better, it’s important to know that it was written during the Renaissance, a time when people valued classical ideas and believed in the power of literature. Overall, “One Day I Wrote Her Name” is a captivating and thought-provoking poem that continues to spark discussions and interpretations centuries after it was written.
Spenser’s idea of poetry triumphing over time and glorifying love is a traditional way of thinking.
“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see
So long lives this and this gives love to thee”.
Keats too by the ‘viewless wings of poesy’ wishes to defeat the transitory world. None the less Spenser is here original for its perfect blend of dramatic mood and indomitable passion of love.
Questions and answers on the poem One day I wrote her name
Short Answer Types Questions and Answers
1. “Vayne man” sayd she, “That doest vaine assay,
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myselve shall lyke this decay,
And eek my name bee wiped out lykewize.”
Ans. This quatrain is extracted from Spenser’s sonnet no. 75 (from sonnet-series Amoretti). It contains the ironical comment of the poet’s ladylove on his effort to write and preserve her name on the strand.
The poet made futile attempts to write the name of his lady-love on the sandy sea-beach. His labour proved vain before the devouring power of the sea. The lady, however, did not appreciate such efforts. She considered them vain and fruitless. After all, it was useless to try to immortalize a mortal element. The lady was a mortal being and as such her name could not be eternalized in the mortal world. She knew herself well that she was subjected to decay and death. Like her own name, written on the strand by the poet, she would be swept away and obliterated from the world in no time by the touch of death. Her whole body would be turned to dust in death under the cruel touch of inevitable mortality.
The expression bears out the grim truth of morality. There is a touching reflection on the vain human endeavor to perpetuate dear elements in a mortal world. The poet’s reflective note has a touch of universality. The personal sentiment is well harmonized with the universal realization. A truly lyrical note is heard here.
OR,
In Spenser’s Sonnet 75, part of the “Amoretti” series, the poet presents a moment where he attempts to immortalize his lover’s name by writing it on the sandy beach. However, this action prompts a thoughtful and somewhat ironic response from his lover, who questions the futility of trying to make something eternal in a world where everything is temporary.
The poet’s efforts to write his lover’s name on the beach are repeatedly undone by the waves, symbolizing the relentless force of nature that erases all traces of human effort. His lover observes this and comments on how futile it is to try to preserve something as fleeting as a name in a world dominated by decay and death. She understands that, as a mortal being, she cannot escape the natural cycle of life and death. The waves washing away her name are a metaphor for how time will eventually erase all traces of her existence. This reflection reveals her acceptance of mortality, acknowledging that her physical body and identity, like the name written on the sand, will eventually be swept away and forgotten.
The lady’s response to the poet’s actions highlights a profound truth about the transient nature of life. Her words reflect the inevitable reality that all human endeavors to preserve what we love are ultimately in vain because everything in this world is subject to decay and death. The poet’s attempt to eternalize her name, though romantic, is ultimately a touching but futile gesture. This quatrain encapsulates a universal truth: no matter how much we wish to hold on to the things we cherish, everything is bound to fade away. The poet’s personal feelings are beautifully intertwined with this universal realization, giving the quatrain a deeply lyrical and reflective quality.
Questions and answers on the poem One day I wrote her name
2. “Not so” quod I “let baser things devize
To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame”
Ans. This is an extract from Spenser’s sonnet no. 75 (from sonnet-series Amoretti). The poet’s ladylove has laughed at his effort to write her name on the strand and reminded him of her own mortality. This is the poet’s vigorous reply and assurance to her of her immortality which his verse will achieve.
The poet does not agree with his ladylove that she is subjected to mortality. On the other hand, he asserts that she is not to be lost like other frail elements. Different earthly elements are, no doubt, subjected to decay and degeneration. But this is not so with the poet’s ladylove. She is no ordinary element to be forgotten now and then. She is the very theme of the poet’s verse and it will eternize her beauty and glory. She will live, beyond decay and death, in his verse, written in her praise. Her fame will ever survive in a transitory world by the power of the verse.
The expression bears out Spenser’s ardent faith in the immortality of love in this mortal world. While other elements decay or decline, love remains and shines through the lover’s verse which praises and glorifies it. Spenser here boldly champions the power of his verse to immortalize his love.
OR,
This extract is from Spenser’s Sonnet 75, part of his “Amoretti” series. The poet’s lover laughs at his attempt to write her name on the beach, reminding him that she is mortal and will eventually fade away. In response, the poet strongly assures her that she will achieve immortality through his poetry.
The poet disagrees with his lover’s belief that she is bound to mortality like everything else in the world. He argues that, unlike other fragile things that decay over time, she will not be forgotten. The poet sees his lover as extraordinary, someone whose beauty and glory deserve to be remembered forever. He believes that his poetry has the power to make her immortal. By writing verses in her praise, he can ensure that her name and her qualities will live on, even after death. Through his poetry, she will be preserved and celebrated for generations to come, defying the natural decay that affects everything else.
This passage reflects Spenser’s deep belief in the enduring power of love, even in a world where everything else is temporary. While other things may decay and disappear, he believes that love can remain eternal, especially when it is captured in poetry. Spenser confidently expresses that his verses have the strength to make his lover’s beauty and love immortal. In this way, he champions the power of poetry to preserve love, allowing it to shine beyond the limits of mortality.
3. “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize.
And in the heavens wryte your glorious name.
Where whens death shall all the world subdew.
Our love shall live and latter life renew.”
Ans. This forms the concluding portion of Spenser’s sonnet no. 75 (from sonnet-series Amoretti). The poet’s robust faith in the strength of his love and the power of his verse is here expressed.
Though his ladylove is cynical about his endeavour to immortalize a mortal creature like herself in a mortal world, the poet is full of conviction and hope. He feels fully assured of his poetic power to perpetuate his love. His verse, written in his lady’s praise, will celebrate her exceptional grace and character and make her immortal in fame. Her name will be written gloriously and sublimated by the magic art of his verse. Death will, no doubt, devour and overpower all earthly elements. But it will have no effect on the poet’s love, so eternized by his great poetic art. The poet declares emphatically that their love shall ever live and remain ever fresh and new through his verse.
This is the rare Spenserian concept to immortalize love through the power of verse. The concept has novelty, and indicates the poet’s depth of love as well as confidence in the greatness of his art. Here Spenser seems to anticipate Shakespeare. In both the cases, the basic concept is the immortality of love in this mortal world, attained through the power of verse. The poet’s art is conceived as superior to the ravages of time in the matter of the preservation of love in the mortal world.
OR,
This passage is from the concluding part of Spenser’s Sonnet 75, part of his “Amoretti” series. The poet expresses his strong belief in the power of his love and the enduring strength of his poetry. Despite his lover’s doubts about his ability to make her immortal in a world where everything eventually fades, the poet is confident that his verse will achieve just that.
The poet’s lover is skeptical about his attempts to immortalize her in his poetry because she believes that she, like everything else in the world, is subject to death and decay. However, the poet is filled with conviction and hope. He is certain that his poetry has the power to keep their love alive forever. Through his verse, he will celebrate her beauty and exceptional qualities, ensuring that her name will live on in glory. The poet believes that while death may consume all things on Earth, it cannot touch the love that he immortalizes through his poetry. He declares with confidence that their love will remain eternal, fresh, and ever new, thanks to the magic of his verse.
This idea of immortalizing love through poetry is a unique and powerful concept in Spenser’s work. It shows not only the depth of his love but also his confidence in the power of his art. Spenser believes that poetry can outlast the ravages of time, preserving love in a way that nothing else can. This idea is similar to what Shakespeare later explores in his own sonnets, where he also talks about the ability of verse to make love eternal in a mortal world. In both cases, the poets believe that their art can defy time and keep love alive forever.
Critical analysis of the poem One day I wrote her name
Very Short Answer Types of Questions and Answers
1. “One day I wrote her name upon the strand” –Does the poet attempt to idealize his love?
Ans. Definitely Spenser attempts to idealize his Ovidian amour for Elizabeth Boyle in this sonnet. The concept of love dealt with by Spenser in marked by both purity and sincerity in which Spenser amalgamates the Renaissance love of beauty and idealistic aspiration.
OR,
In this sonnet, Spenser tries to show his love for Elizabeth Boyle in a very ideal and perfect way, inspired by the ancient poet Ovid. His idea of love is pure and sincere. Spenser combines the Renaissance admiration for beauty with a desire for something perfect and ideal.
2. How is Spenser’s sonnet no. 75 not Petrarchan but Spenserian?
Ans. Spenser like Sidney, his compatriot, brings out his creative potential as an Elizabeth lyricist. Even though his sonnet no. 75 glorifies the Petrarchan concept of courtly love, yet Spenser firmly establishes himself as a unique artist by a deft handling of both matter and manner, stuff and structure i.e. uniquely Spenserian. In his idealization of ideal love and in the treatment of the verse technique, we feel the pulse of Spenser.
OR,
Spenser, like his fellow poet Sidney, shows his creative talent as a poet of the Elizabethan era. In his sonnet no. 75, he praises the idea of courtly love, which is inspired by the Italian poet Petrarch. However, Spenser stands out as a unique artist because of his special way of writing and organizing his poems. He combines the idea of perfect love with his own unique style, making his work distinctly “Spenserian.” Through his idealization of love and his skillful verse technique, we can truly feel Spenser’s artistic touch.
3. What do the second and third quatrains of sonnet provide?
Ans. The second and third quatrains are in the form of a dialogue between the lover and beloved. The dialogue provides the dialectic of pessimism and optimism. When the beloved is pessimistic about the perishability of love, the lover is absolutely optimistic about preserving it in his immortal verse.
OR,
In the second and third parts of the poem, the lover and the beloved have a conversation. The beloved feels sad and worried that their love won’t last forever. But the lover is very hopeful and believes that their love will live on through the poem he writes. This conversation shows the contrast between the beloved’s pessimism and the lover’s optimism.
4. “Our love shall live, and later life renew” –Explain the inner meaning of this line.
Ans. The line shows a contrast between a perishable nature of earthly objects including the lovers and the imperishability of love and essence of life. The poet longs for enlivening his love in life here and in life thereafter against the atrocity of time.
OR,
The line highlights the difference between things on Earth that don’t last, like people, and the everlasting nature of love and life’s essence. The poet wishes to keep his love alive both in this life and beyond, despite the destructive power of time.
5. “But came the tide, and made my paynes his prey” –What does this line convey?
Ans. The line conveys Spenser’s agony and anguish against time’s ruthlessness represented by the tides spoil sport. His repeated attempts to write down his beloved’s sweet name on the sandy sea beach are soured by the merciless sea waves that wash it away. In this line Spenser is instating the atrocious character of the all-conquering time.
OR,
The line shows Spenser’s sadness and frustration with how time is cruel, like the tides. He tries again and again to write his beloved’s name in the sand, but the waves keep washing it away. This line highlights how time is powerful and unstoppable.
6. From which sonnet sequence is Spenser’s sonnet no. 75 taken? What was the date of composition? To whom the sonnet sequence dedicated?
Ans. Spenser’s sonnet no. 75 is borrowed from his sonnet sequence, “Amoretti” which consists of sonnets. It was composed in the year 1595. The sonnet sequence is dedicated to Elizabeth Boyle whom Spenser loved and worried in the year.
OR,
Edmund Spenser wrote Sonnet 75 as part of his collection called “Amoretti,” which is a series of love poems. He wrote these poems in 1595. The whole collection is dedicated to Elizabeth Boyle, the woman he loved and later married. In Sonnet 75, Spenser talks about his efforts to make his love for Elizabeth last forever, even though everything in life eventually fades away.
7. “One day I wrote her name upon the strand/ But came the waves and washed it away/ Agayne I wrote it with a second had, / But came the tyde and made my paynes his pray”
Explain the lines quoted above.
Ans. The poet with an aim to immortalize his love for his beloved, attempts to write his lady’s name on the sea-beach. Unfortunately, nature in the form of wave washes his efforts away. Repeated attempts by the poet undergo repeated failures. The poet’s labours are reflected as ‘paynes’ are ‘pray’ to nature’s fancies and whims.
OR,
The poet wants to make his love for his beloved last forever, so he tries to write her name on the beach. Sadly, the waves keep washing it away. No matter how many times he tries, he fails each time. His efforts are like a struggle against nature, which seems to play with his attempts.
8. “Vayne man, sayed he, that doest in vaine assay / A immortal things so to immortalize/ For I my selve shall lyke to this decay / And eek my name be wiped out like wise” –Explain.
Ans. In response to the failure of lover’s untiring efforts to immortalize his love for his beloved by writing her name on the sea-beach the lady love mocks at the lover by calling it a vayne effort. The word is used in a double sense as the efforts do not yield to fruitful results and it is pride on the part of the lover to immortalize a mortal thing. The lady-love realizes that irrespective of her name, she herself will be subject to decay and her name shall be likewise wiped out.
OR,
When the poet’s efforts to write his beloved’s name on the beach keep failing, the lady laughs at him, calling it a “vain” effort. This word has two meanings here: his attempts are useless because the waves keep washing the name away, and it’s also prideful to think he can make something mortal last forever. The lady understands that both she and her name will eventually fade away, no matter what he does.
9. “Not so (quoted I) let baser things devize/ To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame/ My verse your vertues rare shall eternize/ And in heaven wryte your glorious name.” –Explain
Ans. These lines re-emphasized the poet’s attempt to immortalize his love. The poet here seeks to help of verse to make the rare virtues of his beloved eternal to write her glorious name in heaven, that is, to immortalize her. Death may bring an end to the physical aspects of life but love shall conquer death. Thus the poet claims that unlike the baser things which are subject to death, destruction and oblivion, his ladylove should live by fame, being invested the divine glory by the poet.
OR,
These lines show the poet’s strong desire to make his love last forever. He wants to use his poetry to celebrate his beloved’s special qualities and make her name eternal, like writing it in the sky. Even though death can end physical life, the poet believes that love can overcome death. He claims that, unlike ordinary things that die and are forgotten, his beloved will live on in fame and glory through his poetry.
10. “…but you shall live by fame” –What exactly does the line signify?
Ans. Although nothing endures in this mortal world, the poet sounds confident that his lady-love shall not be subjected to decay. She will ever remain in the poet’s verse that shall make her famous. The poet has a firm faith in the power of his verse to immortalize his love.
OR,
Even though nothing lasts forever in this world, the poet is confident that his beloved will not fade away. He believes that she will live on in his poetry, which will make her famous. The poet has strong faith in the power of his words to make their love eternal.
11. “One day I wrote her name upon the strand” is typical in its idealization of love do you agree?
Ans. The sonnet is inspired with the high ideal of devoted love and the bold faith in the power of literary art to immortalize love and mark its triumph against the cruel blow of death. While the world turns to destruction and dust, devoted love triumphs and vindicates its worth through great art. The clinching couplet sums up this robust theme of the rare virtues of love and art.
OR,
The sonnet talks about true love and how powerful it is. It believes that love and art can live forever, even when everything else is gone. While the world may fall apart, true love and great art will always win and show their value. The last two lines of the sonnet highlight this strong idea of the special qualities of love and art.
12. Comment on the structure of this sonnet.
Ans. This sonnet is formed of three quatrains alternatively rhymed and a concluding couplet. Last line of every quatrain rhymed with the first line of the succeeding quatrain to achieve an effect melody. After Petrarchan fashion the number of rhymes in this sonnet is five –a,b,c,d,e. The rhyme scheme followed in the first quatrain is ab ab in the second quatrain is bc bc in the third quatrain is cd cd and in the concluding couplet is ee.
OR,
This sonnet has three sets of four lines each, called quatrains, and ends with two lines, called a couplet. The last line of each quatrain rhymes with the first line of the next quatrain, creating a musical effect. Following the style of the poet Petrarch, the sonnet uses five different rhymes: a, b, c, d, and e. The rhyme pattern is: the first quatrain is ab ab, the second quatrain is bc bc, the third quatrain is cd cd, and the final couplet is ee. This pattern makes the poem sound pleasant and rhythmic.
13. How does Spenser defy death in his sonnet “One day I wrote her name”?
Ans. Spenser’s sonnet “One day I wrote her name” appeared idealistic. Its purpose is to indicate the triumph of his love through the triumphant vindication of the power of his art. Though death triumphs over all, destroys all, Spenser defies death by the deification of love and art. Faith and hope mark the poet’s tone.
OR,
Spenser’s sonnet “One day I wrote her name” seems very idealistic. It shows how his love wins through the power of his poetry. Even though death conquers everything and destroys all, Spenser challenges death by celebrating love and art. The poet’s tone is full of faith and hope.
14. What role does the ‘tide’ play in the sonnet “O One day I wrote her name”?
Ans. In the sonnet “One day I wrote her name” tide stands for the inexorable time which destroys everything. It suggests the continuous flux in the temporal world which also means the steady progression towards extinction.
OR,
In the sonnet “One day I wrote her name,” the tide represents time that never stops and destroys everything. It shows how the world is always changing and moving towards an end.
15. What is the central theme of the sonnet “One day I wrote her name”?
Ans. The central theme of the sonnet is love. It represents the poet’s effort to immortalize his love to the mortal world. Though the ladylove is quite dubious about the result of the poet’s effort, the poet is thoroughly inspired and believes that he can eternize her virtue by his verse.
OR,
The main idea of the sonnet is love. The poet wants to make his love last forever in the world. Even though the woman he loves is unsure if this will work, the poet is very confident. He believes that his poetry can make her goodness and beauty live on forever.
16. How will the love of the poet and his beloved be renewed in later life?
Ans. According to the poet the future generation will come to know the chaste of love of the poet and his beloved by reading his poetry and will like to taste such love in their life. Thus their love will be renewed in later life.
OR,
The poet believes that future generations will learn about the pure love between him and his beloved by reading his poems. They will be inspired to experience such love in their own lives. In this way, their love will live on and be renewed in the future.
17. What are the ‘baser things’ referred to in this sonnet?
Ans. In this sonnet, the ‘baser things’ refer to gross physical or material elements which are subjected to decay and death. The poet-lover is of the opinion that what is grossly physical is liable to be destroyed by what is divine or spiritual will conquer over time.
OR,
In this sonnet, “baser things” means physical or material things that can decay and die. The poet believes that these physical things can be destroyed, but what is spiritual or divine will last forever and overcome time.
18. What is meant by “Amoretti”?
Ans. The word “Amoretti” means ‘little love’. Here it refers to the poet’s beloved Elizabeth Boyle. He dedicated the whole sequence of sonnets to Elizabeth Boyle. The name of the sonnet sequence is also “Amoretti”.
OR,
The word “Amoretti” means “little love.” In this case, it refers to the poet’s beloved, Elizabeth Boyle. He dedicated the entire series of sonnets to her. The name of this sonnet series is also “Amoretti.”
Questions and answers on the poem One day I wrote her name
