To Lucasta, Going to the Wars

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': context

The poem, 'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars' was written by Richard Lovelace and published in his collection Lucasta in 1649. It is regarded as one of his most famous poems and it is a good example of cavalier poetry.

The poem was likely penned when Lovelace was imprisoned due to political conflict. The poem nods to the personal sacrifices he made to remain true to his political and patriotic beliefs.

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': analysis & meaning

We will first read the poem, then examine the literary and poetic devices employed, and finally, we will look at the key themes of the poem.

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': the poem

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': summary

In the first stanza, the speaker addresses his beloved and requests her to not think poorly of him as he must leave her embrace and go to fight in a war.

In the second stanza, the poet evokes the image of a soldier who is battle-ready as he mounts his horse and is armed with his sword and shield. He states that he must display even more loyalty to his sword and shield as he meets his enemy than he does to his lover.

Finally, in the third stanza, the speaker argues that he would not be worthy of her love nor worthy of loving her if he did not fulfil his duty and remain loyal to his patriotic ideals.

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': form and structure

The poem, 'To Lucasta, going to the wars' consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas), which are inconsistent in their metric feet but consistent in their rhyme and metric rhythm. The quatrains appear uncomplicated in their structure, as is characteristic of cavalier poetry, which is light-hearted and not lyrically complex.

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': rhyme and meter

The poem is presented with a ballad rhyme and sounds like a song because of its alternating rhyme scheme (ABAB). The meter of the poem alternates between the tetrameter (a line with four metrical feet) and the trimeter (a line with three metrical feet). However, the lines do not have consistent metric feet.

For example, let's look at the meters in line one (the syllables in bold represent stressed syllables):

Tell me | not, Sweet, | I am | unkind

This line alone consists of a trochaic, spondaic, and iambic foot. Now, you might think that is a bit wack, so let's break it down.

The inconsistency in the metric feet and rhythm reflects the shifting loyalties of the speaker, and also his preoccupied state of mind because while he is presumably with his lover, he is thinking of the battle he must go into.

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': literary and poetic devices

Let's explore the literary devices that the poem uses.

Apostrophe

In poetry, an apostrophe is an instance where the speaker addresses an absent person, idea, or object.

In the poem, the speaker addresses 'Lucasta,' a woman he loves, whose presence is not perceived in the poem. We do not hear her speak nor are we privy to her thoughts, which indicates an apostrophe.

Alliteration

An instance of alliteration is when a sound is repeated in quick succession in a line of poetry. Alliterations give the reader sonic pleasure when the poem is read out loud.

Examine the lines of the second stanza and note the alliterations in it (for example, 'first,' 'foe', and 'field'). How do these affect the reading of the poem? Is it possible that they reflect the speaker's excitement at the thought of going to battle?

Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech where an idea or an object is substituted for another to hint at a connection between the two. The metaphor adds a layer of meaning to the text.

In the first stanza, the 'nunnery' of the lover's 'chase breast' represents the lover's embrace, which the speaker must now leave to go into battle. The second stanza evokes an image of a battle with the soldier riding the horse into a field to meet his foe with a sword and shield, yet the words 'battle' or 'war' are not explicitly used.

This is an example of how the combination of 'foe,' 'sword' and 'shield' is a stand-in for war. Additionally, the term 'new mistress' is a metaphor for war. The speaker indicates that he must leave his mistress to embrace his 'new mistress' when he goes into war.

Paradox

A paradox is a statement that contradicts itself. For example, calling a slice of cake 'awfully tasty' is a paradox, as 'awful' is seen as something negative, while 'tasty' is a positive attribute.

The last two lines of the poem are a paradox in the sense that the speaker would not be capable of true love and of loving Lucasta if he didn't love his principles and ideals as he did, which compel him to leave her as he goes into war.

Think about how this argument presents a contradiction: how does this show him to be worthy of love?

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars': key themes

The main themes of the poem are love and honour and chivalry

Love

The speaker addresses his love for Lucasta and urges her to not think badly of him as he must leave her embrace. While he is committed to their love, he also loves his country and fellow countrymen and must fulfil his duties towards them. Near the end, the speaker nods to his ideals and code of honour by saying that were he not committed to his beliefs, he would not be worthy of love.

Honour and chivalry

The speaker is considerate of his lover in that he informs her that he must leave her to embrace his 'new mistress,' which is the war he must fight for his country to maintain his code of honour. In explaining this to her, he is chivalrous and dutiful, and also acknowledges that his leaving her may be seen as a 'betrayal' but he would not be worthy of her love were he to not fulfil his duty and conform to his patriotic ideals.