Since There’s No Help, Come Let Us Kiss and Part by Michael Drayton : Reading poetry-1(Sem-1)

Since There’s No Help, Come Let Us Kiss and Part by Michael Drayton 

Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part

By Michael Drayton

Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part.

Nay, I have done, you get no more of me;

And I am glad, yea glad with all my heart,

That thus so cleanly I myself can free.

Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows,

And when we meet at any time again,

Be it not seen in either of our brows

That we one jot of former love retain.

Now at the last gasp of Love’s latest breath,

When, his pulse failing, Passion speechless lies;

When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death,

And Innocence is closing up his eyes—

Now, if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,

From death to life thou might’st him yet recover!

Since There’s No Help, Come Let Us Kiss and Part

by Michael Drayton

🌿 Introduction

“Since There’s No Help, Come Let Us Kiss and Part” is one of the most famous sonnets by the English poet Michael Drayton, published in 1619 in his sonnet sequence Ideas Mirror. The poem belongs to the Elizabethan sonnet tradition and deals with the theme of love ending and emotional separation.

At first, the speaker appears to accept the end of a romantic relationship with calm dignity. However, as the poem progresses, the emotional intensity grows, and in the final couplet, there is a surprising shift that suggests hope for revival. This dramatic turn makes the poem especially powerful.

Historical and Literary Context

Drayton was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and wrote within the tradition of:

Petrarchan love poetry

Elizabethan sonnet conventions

Courtly love tradition

Like many sonneteers of the time, Drayton explores:

Devotion

Separation

Emotional suffering

The instability of love

However, unlike many exaggerated Petrarchan poems, this sonnet feels more controlled and realistic in tone.

Form and Structure

This is a Shakespearean (English) sonnet, consisting of:

14 lines

Iambic pentameter

Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Structure:

First quatrain: Declaration of separation

Second quatrain: Emotional restraint

Third quatrain: Dramatic metaphor of dying love

Final couplet: Unexpected possibility of revival

The poem follows the classic sonnet pattern of argument development, ending in a volta (turn) in the final couplet.

Stanza-by-Stanza Explanation

First Quatrain (Lines 1–4)

Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part.

The poem opens with resignation. The speaker suggests that since reconciliation is impossible, they should separate peacefully.

He says:

“I have done” – He is finished.

He feels glad to “free” himself.

The tone appears controlled and almost proud. He claims emotional strength and self-liberation.

However, the repetition of “glad, yea glad” suggests that he may be trying too hard to convince himself.

Second Quatrain (Lines 5–8)

Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows.

The speaker proposes a formal ending:

Shake hands

Cancel vows

Show no sign of past love

He insists that when they meet again, neither should show any emotional trace.

This section emphasizes:

Pride

Emotional discipline

Suppression of feeling

But the insistence also hints that deep emotion still exists beneath the surface.

Third Quatrain (Lines 9–12)

This section dramatically changes tone.

Love is personified as a dying man:

“Love’s latest breath”

“Pulse failing”

“Passion speechless”

“Faith kneeling by his bed of death”

“Innocence closing up his eyes”

This is powerful imagery. Love is described like someone on a deathbed.

Key techniques:

Personification

Medical imagery

Religious imagery

The emotion intensifies here. What began calmly now feels tragic and dramatic.

Final Couplet (Lines 13–14)

Now, if thou wouldst…

From death to life thou might’st him yet recover!

This is the volta (turn) of the poem.

After describing love’s death, the speaker suddenly says:

Love could still be revived — if she wishes.

This completely changes the emotional meaning.

Earlier he claimed finality. Now he reveals:

Hope still exists

He is not fully detached

The relationship is not truly over

The ending shows vulnerability beneath pride.

Tone and Emotional Progression

The poem moves through three emotional stages:

Resignation (calm acceptance)

Dramatic sorrow (love dying)

Hidden hope (possible revival)

This progression makes the poem psychologically realistic. People often pretend to be strong when heartbroken, but secretly wish for reconciliation.

Major Themes

The End of Love

The poem explores how relationships end with:

Formal separation

Emotional restraint

Attempts at dignity

But love is shown as powerful and not easily extinguished.

Pride vs Vulnerability

The speaker tries to appear:

Strong

Independent

Emotionally detached

Yet the final couplet reveals:

Lingering attachment

Desire for reunion

This contrast creates tension.

Love as Life and Death

Love is compared to a dying person.

This suggests:

Love is alive

Love can suffer

Love can be revived

The metaphor deepens the emotional impact.

Power and Control

In the final lines, the beloved has power:

“thou might’st him yet recover”

She holds the ability to restore love.

This reverses the earlier tone of self-control.

Literary Devices

Personification

Love, Passion, Faith, Innocence are given human qualities.

Repetition

“Glad, yea glad” emphasizes forced confidence.

Imagery

Medical imagery (pulse failing)

Religious imagery (kneeling, closing eyes)

Deathbed imagery

Volta

The dramatic turn in the final couplet changes the poem’s emotional meaning.

Interpretation 

On the surface, the poem is about ending a relationship.

But deeper meanings include:

The struggle between pride and love

The difficulty of truly letting go

Emotional self-deception

The persistence of hope

The speaker pretends closure, but cannot fully detach.

Conclusion

“Since There’s No Help, Come Let Us Kiss and Part” is a masterfully constructed sonnet that moves from calm resignation to dramatic emotional intensity and finally to fragile hope. Through personification, powerful imagery, and a striking final couplet, Drayton reveals the complexity of human emotion at the end of love. The poem shows that even when lovers attempt to part with dignity and pride, true feeling may still survive beneath the surface, waiting for the possibility of revival.