Question

Write the critical appreciation of the poem the noble nature

Answer 1

This is a short poem, and it presents its message succinctly, in a way that is in keeping with that message itself. Jonson is cautioning the reader against the belief that "bulk" or longevity amount to a virtuous life: effectively, he is saying that we should value quality over quantity.

The structure of the poem is interesting: viewed on the page, the narrowing of the poem at the center, where Jonson describes how "a lily of a day / Is fairer far in May," draws the eye. These short lines reflect the short life of the lily, which lives only one day and is "the plant and flower of light," although it only lasts for one day and dies in the same night. The change in line length and meter here captures the reader's attention, underlining the fact that this is the core of the poem. It is upon such "flower[s] of light" that we should focus our attention, rather than upon something which may last "three hundred year" only to fall as a log, worthless.

Man is not made better, Jonson says, by "growing like a tree." It does not represent an accomplishment for us to exist "in bulk," or for a long time, if we are "dry, bald and sere" and leave nothing to show for our longevity. On the contrary, sometimes "beauties" appear "in small proportions," and life "may perfect be" "in short measures." Something which is brief and transitory may leave a far more lasting impression upon us, if it is beautiful, than something which exists for centuries without achieving anything remarkable. It is the quality of a life which is important, not its length.

I hope this is helpful.