Quotations and Literature Forum

I was intrigued by this poem, I find it quite dark and suggestive, and would love to hear some thoughts upon it.

The Vine
by Robert Herrick.

I dreamed this mortal part of mine
Was metamorphosed to a vine,
Which, crawling one and every way,
Enthralled my dainty Lucia.
Methought, her long small legs and thighs
I with my tendrils did surprise:
Her belley, buttocks, and her waist
By my soft nervelets were embraced
About her head I writhing hung
And with rich clusters (hid Amoung
The leaves) her temples i behung,
So that my Lucia seemed to me
Young Bacchus ravished by his tree.
My curls about her neck did crawl,
ANd arms and hands they did enthrall,
So that she could not freely stir
( All parts there made one prisoner).
But when I crept with leaves to hide
Those parts which maids keep unespied,
Such fleeting pleasures there I took
That with the fancy i awoke,
And found (ah me!) this flesh of mine
More like a stock than like a vine.

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

i think i'd have to say blatent innuendo, i'm not quite sure what i think other than that.

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Sanctuary: a small safe place in a troubling world

Yes that was my initial reaction though I think one of the things which intiruged me, was the time in which the poem was written, though I do not have an exzact date for it, Herrick lived between 1591-1674

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Every man carries a circle of hell around his head like a halo. Every man, every man has to go through hell to reach his paradise.
Robert De Niro, Cape Fear

Taking into account the time period, i'm tempted to say that he's speaking about a 'poets tongue', a tongue with the gift of words

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Sanctuary: a small safe place in a troubling world

'Ole Bob' definitely had a way with words. We can only hope that he also had his way with, 'Lucia'.
It's meant to titillate . I like it .