On the Life of Man
Sir Walter Ralegh
What is our life? a play of passion,
Our mirth the musicke of division,
Our mothers wombes the tyring houses be,
When we are drest for this short Comedy,
Heaven the Judicious sharpe spector is, 5
That sits and markes still who doth act amisse,
Our graves that hide us from the searching Sun,
Are like drawne curtaynes when the play is done,
Thus march we playing to our latest rest,
Onely we dye in earnest, that's no Jest.
2007-11-19 04:46:04 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
Damned if I know,I just thought I answer one of your questions for a change.
2007-11-19 05:05:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The poet is comparing life to a play. The "musicke of division" would be the music between the acts. "Tyring houses" are dressing rooms; God is the critic who evaluates each performance, i. e. the way each of us lives his or her life. The graves to which we go at the end are like the curtains that are drawn at the end at the end of a play. But death itself is real. The last line tends to break the image and snap us back to reality.
2007-11-19 12:57:44 · answer #2 · answered by aida 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, it's sort of an abstract poem(meaning different people would interpret it differently).It's bysicly expaining life. It starts by askind what life is and then answers it. It's explaining life as a play, saying when the curtains open life starts and when they close it ends.It's quite a challenging poem.I think you should ake a teacher.
2007-11-19 12:57:32 · answer #3 · answered by Towella 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it's a good piece of writing but i haven't the faintest idea.
2007-11-19 12:49:39 · answer #4 · answered by g3m 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋