The Renaissance poet Thomas Campion wrote in his treatise Observations in the Art of English Poesy (1602) that poetry balances the art of "symmetry and proportion" even when making an argument. His poetry and ideas can be seen as musical poetry (Poetry Foundation). Symmetry was highly valued by the Renaissance people and was even considered to be an “ideal beauty” (Kinney and Collins, 1980, p.372).
Sidney’s poem “A Ditty” adheres to these Renaissance values for the following reasons. Firstly, because “A Ditty” is very symmetrical in the poetic sense. The stanzas are in symmetric shape and order. The first and last line end with ‘his’ and have another ‘his’ in between the poem (Poets.org). In a way one can say the poem is enclosed by that rhyming word. In between the other lines have their own symmetry which is musical because it also rhymes: given and driven. In addition, there is musical rhythm in the poetry, one can almost tap one’s feet when reciting this poem. However, there are the two exceptional lines “His heart in me keeps him and me in one” and “He loves my heart, for once it was his own” which don’t rhyme in the regular sense and which can be seen as an aberration of perfection of the symmetry of the Renaissance. They are three letters in each word so they make up the composition though.
But also the content is focused on symmetry and proportion. When Sidney writes about the heart it is not about the heart of one and not of the other or one heart doing more of the work and not the other. Both hearts are given and exchanged. They are exchanged in such a manner that they can be considered one and are interchangeable. So the content serves the function and symbolizes and even emphasizes the symmetry. The exchange, the bargain is highly reciprocal. The poem therefore adheres to the Renaissance values.
Reference
Kinney, A.F. and Collins, D.S. (1980), eds. Renaissance Historicism, Selections from English Literary Renaissance. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1980. Print.
Poetry Foundation, Thomas Campion. Retrieved March, 20, 2012 from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/thomas-campion
Poets.org. Retrieved March 19, 2012 at http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19444
References
Dove, W. (2011). Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf and the myth of the “good dictatorship”. 7 March 2012.
Machiavelli, N. The Prince. Trans. Rufus Goodwin. Boston, Dante University Press, 2003.
