Pamela; Or Virtue Rewarded: An Analysis of the Poem ‘Verses On My Going Away’Leitura em 9 minutos

An essay by Rafaela Culuchi
Revised by Lucas Leite Borba

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Pamela; or, virtue rewarded, by Samuel Richardson, is one of the most prominent literary works produced in 18th-century England. First published in 1740, the novel had a significant social impact due to its astonishing storyline and innovative writing style, which led it to be considered one of the first truly English novels. The main plot concerns Pamela Andrews, a fifteen-year-old girl who is relentlessly pursued by Mr. B, the son of her deceased mistress and the heir to the estate where Pamela works. Despite feeling attracted to Mr. B, Pamela holds out against his demands, threats of abduction and rape, determined to defend her chastity and stand for her own principles. This essay intends to analyze the poem ‘VERSES on my going away’, which appears in Richardson’s novel Pamela; or, virtue rewarded.

Throughout the novel, Pamela writes poems to express her intimate feelings and thoughts regarding the situation she is living in, all of which follow a lyric format. “VERSES on my going away”, her first poem, asserts that she is not going to be subdued by the material gains her master offers her. The poem is addressed to her ‘fellow servants,’ undoubtedly serving as a farewell to them, and to Mr. B. The use of first-person narrative voice adds an intimate tone to the verses, establishing a personal connection between Pamela and the readers.

The poem illustrates Pamela’s gratitude to God for her blessings, emphasizes the importance of humility and obedience to God’s will, and acknowledges the cyclical nature of fate. Overall, its main themes revolve around gratitude, contentment, chastity, obedience to divine will, and reflections on the nature of happiness. Jane Blanchard (2011) analyzes how Pamela’s ideals conveyed in the narrative within her work Composing Purpose in Richardson’s ‘Pamela’:

Pamela reflects upon her rise from and return to “low degree” and exhorts her peers to join her in obeying God by avoiding “Temptations,” […] and by praying for one another as well as “our Master”. The content as well as the style of this poem are all appropriate to a young woman of Pamela’s situation and temperament, a disappointed yet dutiful girl who is memorializing her ambivalent sentiments as she anticipates returning to her parents. […] this poem serves as a farewell to Mr. B. as well as to his servants […]

The portrayal of Pamela’s return home can be found in the second stanza, where she states that although she had a blissful life while working for her mistress, she is now returning to her origins, to her humble and financially modest family. In the fourth stanza, she praises her purity and chastity while challenging the meaning of joy and expressing the belief that true happiness is ‘conscious innocence and peace.’ Evidently a devout young woman, Pamela considers her innocence and virtue to be a ‘treasure’ from God. Transitioning to the fifth stanza, Pamela affirms that her future is unknown, but she is certain that she will always be a grateful person. In the following stanza, Pamela expresses that she will always pray for Mr. B, despite his wickedness and cunning tricks. Moving on to the seventh and eighth stanzas, she argues that people should be content with their social status and avoid envying aristocrats’ superior positions. In her view, instead of transforming them into better people, the fortunes of aristocrats ‘enlarge their fears’ and ‘increase their cares.’ Pamela asserts that servants are often more joyful than their masters, including Mr. B himself. This demonstrates how she submits to social hierarchy and aligns herself with the values and social mores of 18th-century England. In the ninth stanza, Pamela expresses her gladness at returning to her parents despite their poverty. She does not mourn their humble condition, recognizing them as honest people, and acknowledges that their true richness—grace and truth—lies within their souls. In the final stanza, Pamela affirms that God alone determines the future; she also instructs her fellow servants to serve Him, expressing hope that God will grant them rich reparations.

As for its form, ‘VERSES on my going away’ is written in iambic tetrameter and composed of ten stanzas, each having a variable number of lines. The irregular length of the lines adds to its natural expressiveness and sense of rhythm. The rhyme scheme is usually ABAB, where the last word of the first line rhymes with the third line, and the last word of the second line rhymes with the fourth line. While the ABAB scheme serves as a foundational rhyme pattern, not every stanza strictly adheres to it. Some stanzas introduce different rhyme patterns, contributing to the poem’s melodic and rhythmic quality. The predominant iambic meter, featuring lines with an unstressed-stressed syllable pattern, infuses the poem with a melodic touch, enhancing its flow. Notably, repetition plays a crucial role in ‘VERSES on my going away’, for instance, in each stanza, the word ‘Pamela’ is reiterated, emphasizing the protagonist’s identity and personal connection to the poem’s themes. Phrases like ‘grateful Pamela’ and ‘Thank heav’n’ are consistently used, providing emphasis and reinforcing significant ideas, such as her devotion to God. Despite Pamela’s affirmation in the tenth stanza that her poem is a sonnet, it deviates from the typical structure and rhyme scheme associated with sonnets.                     

In conclusion, it’s notable how Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, besides influencing the writing style of its time, played a significant role in endorsing the prevailing ideals of femininity and womanhood during the 18th century. Richardson, through his own take on the book of conduct, emphasizes the virtues expected of young women in marriage, asserting that chastity, innocence, extreme delicacy, domestication, and acute sensitivity should be their ultimate goals for achieving true happiness and reward. The poem ‘VERSES on my going away’ underscores the notion that true treasure is found in innocence and chastity, while wealth only fosters temptations and mischievousness. Those interested in gender issues, domestic violence, 18th-century English class barriers, and feminist studies should undoubtedly read this novel.

 

‘VERSES on my going away’

                        I

Attend, my fellow-servants dear,

A grateful song demands you ear;

The dictates of a heart sincere,

                           Presented you by Pamela.

 

                       II

I long have had a blissful fate ;

Exalted by the good and great;

Yet to her former humble state

                     Content returns your Pamela.

 

                      III

Whate’er kind heav’n has designed,

Still may I keep an equal mind,

To the eternal Will resigned,

                        And happy must be Pamela.

 

                     IV

For what indeed is happiness

But conscious innocence and peace?

And that’s a treasure I possess;

             Thank heav’n, that gave it Pamela.

 

                      V

My future lot I cannot know;

But this, I’m sure, where-e’er I go,

Whate’er I am, whate’er I do,

                                I’ll be grateful Pamela.

 

                    VI

Yet something more remains to say;

God’s holy will be sure obey;

And for our bounteous master pray,

                       As ever shall poor Pamela.

 

                    VII

For, O we pity should the great

Nor envy their superior state;

Temptations always round them wait,

         Exempt from which are such as we.

 

                    VIII

Their riches, gay deceitful snares!

Inlarge their fears, increase their cares;

Their servants’ joy surpasses theirs;

                     At least, so judges Pamela.

 

                    IX

Glad to my parents I return;

Nor for their low condition mourn;

Since grace and truth their souls adorn,

            They’re high and great to Pamela.

 

                    X

On God all future good depends;

Serve him. And so my sonnet ends.

O may he make you rich amends,

                   For all your loves to Pamela.

 

References

BLANCHARD, Jane. Composing Purpose in Richardson’s ‘Pamela’. South Atlantic Review, vol. 76, no. 2, 2011, pp. 93–107. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43050924. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

RICHARDSON, Samuel. Pamela; or, Virtue rewarded. London; New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, 1985.