One of the finest poems composed by Robert Herrick, "Corinna's Going A-Maying," assumes a theme of nature and man's interactions within nature, specifically May Day. This celebration was held in numerous cities and was the unofficial commencement of spring. The narrator's tone is one of great excitement and almost no worries, as he fervently encourages those who surround him to join in the festivities. Herrick combines religious and mythological elements with those of familiar English life to enhance the poem, while demonstrating his cognizance concerning May Day customs. Additionally, the author's use of imagery and consistent structure benefit the reader to obtain more from the poem and comprehend its true meaning. Evidence of Herrick's cultural knowledge in "Corinna's Going A-Maying" and ability to write such a work of art can be found in a criticism authored by George Walton Scott. Scott lauds this poem as "Herrick's finest and most sustained poem – perhaps his masterpiece" (Scott 122) and even remarks on Herrick's knowledge of the time-honored customs and traditional decorations most associated with May Day.
             Imagery and figures of speech play a dominant role in characterizing this poem. In the line "Against you come, some orient pearls unwept/ Come and receive them while the light/ Hangs on the dew locks of the night" (Herrick 669), Herrick uses a metaphor to compare gleaming pearls to drops of dew. Personification is also utilized by the author in the following lines "And Titan on the eastern hill/ Retires himself, or else stands still" (669) where Herrick describes the setting sun. The use of personification is also evident to a lesser degree when the author mentions the names of Aurora and Flora, both Italian goddesses who are supposed to exist without any tangible evidence. When the rosary, a specific object very
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