Chistopher Marlowe sets the poem in early spring in a rural locale (presumably in England) where shepherds tend their flocks. The use of the word madrigals (Line 8)–referring to poems set to music and sung by two to six voices with a single melody or interweaving melodies–suggests that the time is the 16th Century, when madrigals were highly popular in England and elsewhere in Europe. However, the poem could be about any shepherd of any age in any country, for such is the universality of its theme.  

Characters 
 
The Passionate Shepherd: He importunes a woman–presumably a young and pretty country girl–to become his sweetheart and enjoy with him all the pleasures that nature has to offer. 
The Shepherd’s Love: The young woman who receives the Passionate Shepherd’s message. 
Swains: Young country fellows whom the Passionate Shepherd promises will dance for his love. 

Type of Work 

“The Passionate Shepherd” is a pastoral poem. Pastoral poems generally center on the love of a shepherd for a maiden (as in Marlowe’s poem), on the death of a friend, or on the quiet simplicity of rural life. The writer of a pastoral poem may be an educated city dweller, like Marlowe, who extolls the virtues of a shepherd girl or longs for the peace and quiet of the country. Pastoral is derived from the Latin word pastor, meaning shepherd. 

Theme 

The theme of “The Passionate Shepherd” is the rapture of springtime love in a simple, rural setting. Implicit in this theme is the motif of carpe diem–Latin for “seize the day.” Carpe diem urges people to enjoy the moment without worrying about the future.  

Writing and Publication Information 

Marlowe wrote the poem in 1588 or 1589 while attending Cambridge University at its Corpus Christi College. It first appeared in print in poetry collections published in 1599 and 1600. 

Rhyme and Meter 

In each stanza, the first line rhymes with the second, and the third rhymes with the fourth. The meter is iambic tetrameter, with eight syllables (four iambic feet) per line. (An iambic foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.) The following graphic presentation illustrates the rhyme scheme and meter of Stanza 1: 

Come LIVE.|.with ME.|.and BE.|.my LOVE,  
And WE.|.will ALL.|.the PLEA.|.sures PROVE   
That HILLS.|.and VALL.|.eys, DALE.|.and FIELD,  
And ALL.|.the CRAG.|.gy MOUNT.|.ains YIELD. 

Over the centuries, Marlowe’s little poem has enjoyed widespread popularity because it captures the joy of simple, uncomplicated, love. The shepherd does not worry whether his status makes him acceptable to the girl; nor does he appear concerned about money or education. The future will take carry of itself. What matters is the moment. So, he says, let us enjoy it–sitting on a rock listening to the birds.  
 
 

Text of the Poem	Annotations
Come live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove	prove: test, try out
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.
h
There will we sit upon the rocks          5
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.	madrigals: poems set to music and sung by two to six voices with
	a single melody or interweaving melodies
There will I make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,   10
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle	kirtle: dress or skirt
Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.	myrtle: shrub with evergreen leaves, white or pink flowers, and dark
	berries. In Greek mythology, a symbol of love.
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull,	w: alliteration
Fair linèd slippers for the cold,   15
With buckles of the purest gold.
h
A belt of straw and ivy buds
With coral clasps and amber studs:	coral: yellowish red; amber: yellow or brownish yellow
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my Love.   20
hh
Thy silver dishes for thy meat
As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be
Prepared each day for thee and me.
h
The shepherd swains shall dance and sing   25	swains: a country youths
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my Love.