I would appreciate any feedback.

The Glories of Our Blood and State by James Shirley 1596-1666
What does the garlands wither mean? (Honor is fading?)
What are the garlands made of? ( Laurel?)
What are the metonym/synecdoche in lines 5 & 8? (line 5 – Royalty? Line 8 – Death?)
What is being reaped in line 9? (Dead soldiers?)
Who captured the pale captives? (Death?)
Does “in the dust” mean death?

Am I on the right track with my answers? Please advise.
Thanks. Pageturner~

The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armor against fate;
Death lays his icy hands on kings.
Scepter and crown
Must tumble down
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

Some men with swords may reap the field
And plant fresh laurels where they kill,
But their strong nerves at last must yield;
They tame but one another still.
Early or late
They stop to fate
And must give up their murmuring breath,
When they, pale captives, creep to death.

The garlands wither on your brow,
Then boast no more your mighty deeds;
Upon death’s purple altar now See where the victor-victim bleeds.
Your heads must come
To the cold tomb;
Only the actions of the Just
Smell sweet and blossom in their dust.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2008 11:23AM by pageturner.

You seem to be on track with answers 1, 2, and 5, Pageturner.

As for question 3 on metonym/synecdoche, I would agree that in line 5 a sceptre is an emblem of royal power, and a crown is an emblem of royalty, but I suggest that in line 8, 'scythe' and 'spade' are emblems of farm workers and ditch diggers respectively, who are taken as emblems of labourers generally, who are in the lowest social class (which is are contrasted with royalty).

In line 9, I read 'the field' as emblematic of worldly opportunities to gain fame and fortune. Some do it by swords, i.e. by going to war.

In the last line, 'in their dust' [you have slightly misquoted it] does relate to death, but I suggest that 'dust' is better interpreted as a symbol of whatever remains of the deceased after death, which could include other people's memories of the deceased.

There are a lot of examples of metonym/synecdoche in this poem!

In line 15 of your transcription you need to correct 'five' to 'give'.

IanB

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2008 07:52PM by IanAKB.

IanB,

Thank you for your rapid reply.
I did not think about the scythe and spade meaning "laborers."
I had a hard time analyzing this poem as an amateur. I appreciate your help.
For my Literature class, I will have 2 more chapters on poetry.
After searching the web first, I may have to consult this forum again.
I was able to find info on Tennyson and Shakespeare's sonnets, but
very little on James Shirley.

Thanks again!
Pageturner