Fain would I wed a fair young man that night and day could please me,
When my mind or body grieved that had the power to ease me.
Maids are full of longing thoughts that breed a bloudless sickness,
And that, oft I hear men say, is onely cured by quickness.
Oft I have been wooed and praised, but never could be moved ;
Many for a day or so I have most dearly loved,
But this foolish mind of mine straight loathes the thing resolved ;
If to love be sin in me that sin is soon absolved.
Sure I thinke I shall at last fly to some holy Order ;
When I once am setled there then can I flyFaine would I wed a faire yong man that day and night could please mee,
When my mind or body grieued that had the powre to ease mee.
Maids are full of longing thoughts that breed a bloudlesse sicknesse,
And that, oft I heare men say, is onely cur’d by quicknesse.
Oft I haue beene woo’d and prai’d, but neuer could be moued ;
Many for a day or so I haue most dearely loued,
But this foolish mind of mine straight loathes the thing resolued ;
If to loue be sinne in mee that sinne is soon absolued.
Sure I thinke I shall at last flye to some holy Order ;
When I once am setled there then can I fly no farther.
Yet I would not die a maid, because I had a mother :
As I was by one brought forth I would bring forth another.
Thomas Campion
Thomas Campion was a sixteenth and seventeenth century poet. He was born in London and became a successful physician. He was a lutenist and composed lyrics, such as Cherry Ripe, which he and others set to music. His poems, also often set to music , are generally light and charming. He wrote over a hundred lute songs, masques for dancing , and an authoritative technical treatise on music. His first published works were five songs, which appeared in 1591. Campion’s first collection of poem Thomas Campiani Poornata, was published in Latin in 1595, the book included over 129 epigrams as well as a no. of elegies and an incomplete epic poem. His “Fain Would I Wed” has a somewhat earthier quality reminiscent of the Chinese odes
In “Fain Would I Wed” , the poet here writes on behalf of a woman who is quite unhappy from the consequences of her married life. She find it completely of no use to marry a “fair young man”. Before marriage, girls have some desires about their husbands in their mind, in their mind, in other words , what kind of quality they possess including physical appearance or whether they are handsome or intelligent.
She says that it was all in vain to marry a fair young man who would make her feel happy and satisfied every time.
“Fain Would I Wed a fair young… …had the power to ease me”
When her mind and body would pain, he could has the strength to make her comfortable. Further, who are full of sad feelings and thoughts also become the cause of their sickness or loss of blood. The cure of this sickness is “quickness” which she heard from man often saying. In the next stanza she gives few more statement on her dissatisfaction from her life. She openly accepts that she had been many times loved and praised by her future husband but it was not enough to move her. In other words she didn’t that it could effect her emotions and cause feelings. She says that she had been wooed and loved very much which her foolish mind dislikes all the things that are determined.
“Oft I have been wooed and praised, but never could be moved”
Here, we get an idea that inspite of the efforts of her man to love her she couldn’t love and like it. That’s why she says loving is just like a sin for her and this sin will be absolved very soon. She is no more guilty for it.
Campion had attained a great range both in feeling and expression, the result of which is always a considerable reputation of his poems and songs. The “Fain Would I Wed” is surely no exception to it.
In the next stanza of lines we the woman’s attempt to get ride if the above problems and attain satisfaction. She says that she at last must “fly to some holy orders” or she should go and become the member of christian clergy.
“Sure I think I shall at last fly to same holy orders,
When I once am settled there ,than can I fly no further”
And if once she get settled there and accept being the member, she cannot think of moving further in life. She would not then able to live her life in the same way she does now.
But at the same time she rejects her though of attaining holy orders. She decides not to die unmarried as she had a mother, who had brought her to this world. As her mother gave her birth, she too will do the same. She says that she would also bring her child further to this world. And so she will also have to get married even if it is fain to her.
Through the views and thoughts of the maid,the author is talking about we can say that the basic “theme” of this poem is “wedding” & these thoughts of desires of her become useless because of the commitment of society that a girl should have to marry at last and make her life complete with her husband and children and because she is the only who can make this world go further by bringing her child into this world.
So, from the beginning up to the last two lines of the poetry we can observe a complete change in the thinking of the woman as in the beginning. She displays her dissatisfaction in marrying as she finds it useless. But at the end she talks about her will do to bring her child to this earth and so she will not die a maid.
This poem is basically a short poem consisting twelve lines. It is a fair poem with rhyme scheme a a b b c d. It is a short poem set to music. The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image and meter is trochaic pentameter and there is a poetic device epiphora in the ending lines.
