The narrator of “There is a garden before her face” by Thomas Campion warns other admirers of the beauty of a young girl against the exploitation of her virginity. As noted in the title, Campion uses words associated with gardens to describe the girl's beauty; upon closer inspection, it is clear that Campion is actually describing the girl's virginity. He informs us that she is not yet ready to lose her virginity and that she will “threaten with a piercing frown to kill” (15) anyone who tries to take her “with his eyes or his hand” (16), by looking at her lustfully or physically having sex with her. She is not yet “mature” (6), and until she reaches that stage, “neither her peer nor the prince can buy” (11) her virginity. The Garden of Eden visible on the girl's face, created by Campion's use of concrete diction, extended metaphor, other symbolisms, personifications and structures, creates the image of a young girl guarding her forbidden fruit and effectively communicates why a young woman would do so. I want to protect her virginity and innocence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The structure of the poem lays the foundation for the story being told. This poem is lyrical, meaning it is short and specific, and the narrator is the poet's character. The poem is written in sestets which are in iambic tetrameter, and each sestet has an ababcc rhyme scheme and uses an exact masculine ending rhyme. The abab rhymes in the first four lines of each stanza give the poem a sung quality much like that of many nursery rhymes, which emphasize the girl's innocence and youth. The abundance of set lines also adds to the nursery rhyme feel of the poem as it adds an air of simplicity. The final points also reflect the attitude of the girl in the poem: she will not give in. The punctuation at the end of each line is similar to the way people say the word "period" at the end of a statement that expresses their refusal to move. The meter also highlights the girl's youth, as it allows you to read the poem a bit like reading a story to a child. The rhyming couplets at the end of each stanza provide a sense of finality, again indicating the girl's seriousness in her desire to retain her virginity. The phrase “Until the cherry is ripe!” they themselves weep” (6,12,18) is a refrain throughout the poem. The refrain is the only line in the poem with a caesura, which causes readers to stop and really notice the phrase “ripe cherry” (6, 12, 18). The repetition of this line emphasizes the main point of the poem, which is that she is not yet “ripe.” Campion uses a myriad of images to represent the abstract idea of ​​virginity: garden, angels, white lilies, roses, pearls, snow-filled rosebuds, laughter, fruit, cherries, strung bows, and heavenly paradise. All of these images evoke visions of nature, purity, gentleness and innocence. Specifically, angels, flowers – especially white lilies, pearls (usually white), and snow all symbolize purity. Snow also possesses the quality of coldness which indicates the girl's attitude towards those who wish to seduce her. However, not all of the images Campion uses are white. The rosebuds create a powerful symbol of the girl's stage of life, as rosebuds appear at the beginning of a rose before it blooms; they have not yet grown up, so they perfectly symbolize the youth of the. 71.