Delight in Disorder

Robert Herrick’s “Delight in Disorder” was published in 1648 but could have been written as much as 30 years earlier. In the poem, the speaker describes the arrangement of a woman’s clothing and the effect that it has upon them. Instead of desiring perfection in attire, Herrick’s speaker feels that it is the imperfections of the female subject’s presentation that add to her attractiveness. This “wild civility” (Line 12) is far more appealing to the speaker than trying to achieve physical perfection through “art” (Line 13). The poem centers on the interplay between the push of the “civil” or rule-bound world of social expectation and the unfettered nature of true desire.

The speaker observes the woman’s clothes and uses wording to symbolically note the way they inspire passion and arousal. The vaguely unkempt status of the woman’s attire suggests a more natural way of being, something that would have been unusual in the elaborately stylized dress of the court and upper class. Since she is not bound by typical artifice, the speaker is immediately drawn to her. The woman’s “dress” (Line 1) is responsible for “kindl[ing] in clothes a wantonness” (Line 2), or social irreverence, which the speaker notices and is attracted by. Their view of the clothes consequently becomes symbolic of their own desire. According to the title, the speaker “delight[s] in [this] disorder [of her dress],” considering it “sweet” (Line 1). The speaker goes on to describe the outfit in detail, noting its agreeableness and juxtaposing items they see as free or unrestrained with those that are more conventionally displayed. 

The speaker privileges what is disordered throughout the woman’s attire, noting how such disorder is admirable and sexually attractive. They observe the woman from head to toe. Their first observation is how a “lawn” (Line 3)—a linen shawl of the time period—is “thrown / Into a fine distraction” (Lines 3-4) about the woman’s shoulders. Here, the woman’s casual draping of her shawl highlights her shoulders, and this “distraction” (Line 4), which might be criticized by those who desire perfection, is “fine” (Line 3), or excellent, to the speaker.

The “lace” (Line 5) around the dress’s bodice is “erring” (Line 5), or disarranged, perhaps sticking out or loosened. This could be perceived as messy by others, but the speaker notes how the fasteners about the “crimson stomacher” (Line 6) are “enthra[lling]” (Line 6), an object that is not disheveled but adding to the enchanting disregard for the rules. This is also true of the woman’s sleeve “cuff” (Line 7), which has opened, so ribbons are falling out of it in a topsy-turvy way. Again, this is not an unpleasant dishevelment but a pleasing display. The woman’s lack of artifice implies a carefree attitude toward her appearance.

The woman’s “petticoat” (Line 10)—generally a full slip worn under a skirt, although, at the time period, it could have just been a single skirt—has a “winning wave” (Line 9) that turns “tempestuous” (Line 10). The “winning wave” (Line 9) suggests that the woman might be open to the speaker’s approach. If the “tempestuous petticoat” (Line 10) is indeed an underskirt, its “tempestuous” (Line 10) nature might suggest that it is eager to break the confines of the outer skirt, much like the speaker is eager to break the confines of social artifice. Herrick’s speaker concludes with the woman’s “careless shoe-string, in whose tie / [they] see a wild civility” (Lines 11-12). The speaker has followed the woman from shoulder to shoes and sees a natural ease that has not been killed by an “art [that] is too precise” (Lines 13-14).

In fashionable society in Herrick’s time, elaborate and ostentatious dress was an important part of projecting one’s socioeconomic status. Here, however, Herrick’s speaker suggests that someone does not need to be flawless to be appealing. In fact, the opposite may be true: The speaker prefers a more relaxed and idiosyncratic style of dress. The small imperfections in the woman’s outfit suggest that one does not have to give up what is natural and easy for that which is artful and false. The woman acts as a promise that one can exist within the bounds of society but not lose what is sincere about the self.