Comus

After the Attendant Spirit has summoned Sabrina in song, Sabrina rises, attended by water-nymphs, and sings her own song, announcing that she comes at the request of the shepherd (i.e., the Spirit, who is in shepherd’s garb, though his appearance also suggests the image of Christ as shepherd and thus underscores the divine nature of Sabrina’s mission). 

Sabrina’s method of intervention introduces another key symbol. After the Spirit requests that the Lady be set free, Sabrina reveals that she has particular skill in aiding “ensnarèd chastity” (Line 909). Sabrina does so by sprinkling drops on the Lady from her “fountain pure” (Line 912) and touching the chair on which the Lady has been bound. The image of the fountain is central to Christianity. The Bible repeatedly associates fountains with life, renewal, and purification; they also evoke baptism and Christ’s blood. As an antidote to Comus’s sorcery, the fountain is ultimately a reminder that God is an endless wellspring of life and goodness. 

Her task done, Sabrina readies to depart “to wait in Amphitrite’s bow’r” (Line 921). Amphitrite is a sea goddess, the wife of Poseidon, god of the sea. Then, in 18 rhyming couplets, the Spirit sings Sabrina’s praises and prepares to escort the Lady from “this cursèd place” (Line 939) to “holier ground” (Line 943)—her father’s castle. Besides offering physical safety, the castle represents civilization and thus stands in contrast to the unruly passions that emerge in the Wild Wood. As the poem draws toward a conclusion, everyone returns to their “natural” place, underscoring the triumph of order.