Amoretti Sonnet 67: Like as a Huntsman By Edmund Spenser Summary

 

Like as a huntsman after weary chase,

Seeing the game from him escap'd away,

Sits down to rest him in some shady place,

With panting hounds beguiled of their prey:

So after long pursuit and vain assay,

When I all weary had the chase forsook,

The gentle deer return'd the self-same way,

Thinking to quench her thirst at the next brook.

There she beholding me with milder look,

Sought not to fly, but fearless still did bide:

Till I in hand her yet half trembling took,

And with her own goodwill her firmly tied.

Strange thing, me seem'd, to see a beast so wild,

So goodly won, with her own will beguil'd.

The poem begins with a simile, comparing the speaker to a tired huntsman after a prolonged attempt. The huntsman observes the elusive and cunning nature of the prey. The huntsman takes a break in a shaded area, likely exhausted from the chase. The hounds are also tired and disappointed, having been deceived by the prey. The speaker draws a parallel between the huntsman's experience and his own prolonged and fruitless attempt in life.  

The speaker is fed up and decides to abandon the attempts. Surprisingly, the deer returns back willingly. The deer's motive for returning is revealed – it seeks water to quench its thirst. The deer, upon encountering the speaker again, regards him with a gentler expression. Instead of fleeing, the deer remains fearlessly in the presence of the speaker.

 

The speaker captures the deer, which is described as trembling. Remarkably, the deer willingly allows itself to be tied by the speaker. The speaker finds it unusual and surprising to witness a wild creature behaving in such a manner. The poem concludes with the speaker reflecting on the beauty of winning over the deer with its own consent.

 

The lover compares himself to huntsman who has been in pursuit of his prey (lady-love) but this chase has completely exhausted him, because his game has escaped. Thus his chase or hunt has been a vain exercise. He describes the ‘chase’ as ‘heavy chase’.

 In a dejected mood, the lover-hunter feels desperate and tired and sits down to relax in a shady place along with his hounds who are panting because of their failure to capture the prey.

The lover gives up the chase having realized the futility of his assay. The word ‘assay’ could also mean that he had attempted to drink and taste rather prematurely and did not realize the fact that hunting and killing the deer were not appropriate measures. It only means that he failed to comprehend the true meaning of lover-beloved relationship, their significance and value. He had acted like a greedy huntsman who tries to capture his beloved by using force. But the use of force turns out to be a vain exercise. The beloved cannot be won by passion, greed and force.

Now that the huntsman (the lover) has realized his folly, sits down. He has decided to forsake the hunt and the prey. No sooner does the realization dawn on the lover-hunter, than a miracle happens. He observes the same gentle deer returning the same way without any fear looking for the next brook where she could quench her thirst, for she could also be equally thirsty. The deer’s drinking at the brook is an indication of her longing for God; water is emblematic of godliness and purity. Love implies purity and godliness.