Delight in Disorder

“Delight in Disorder” is a lyric poem by English poet and Anglican vicar Robert Herrick. In the poem, the speaker describes a young woman’s “disorder in [] dress” (Line 1), celebrating how some carelessness or imperfection in a woman’s style is more alluring than a flawless presentation. The poem was one of over 1,400 poems published in 1648 in Herrick’s only collection, Hesperides: Or, The Works Both Humane & Divine. Scholar Nicholas McDowell notes that Herrick’s poems are thought to have been “composed in the 1610s and 1620s” (See: Further Reading & Resources). He is most famous for the poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” which is called a carpe diem poem since it urges young people to seize the moment. That poem, “Delight in Disorder,” and “Upon Julia’s Clothes” are Herrick’s most widely anthologized works. 

Content Warning: This guide features depictions of death and death by suicide.

POET BIOGRAPHY

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and death by suicide.

Robert Herrick, the seventh child of Nicholas Herrick—a wealthy goldsmith—and Juliana Stone Herrick, was born in 1591 and baptized in August of that year in Cheapside, London. During Herrick’s first year of life, his father fell from a window and died. There was some speculation that this was a death by suicide. Herrick’s mother did not remarry. 

In 1607, Herrick served as an apprentice to his uncle Sir William Herrick, who was also a goldsmith and a jeweler to King James I. The 10-year apprenticeship ended after six years, when Herrick decided to enroll as a student at Saint John’s College, Cambridge. There is evidence that he became estranged from his uncle, who was also in charge of his inheritance. The financial strain necessitated Herrick’s switch to Trinity Hall. 

There is slim historical information regarding Herrick’s life at Cambridge, but he did meet Ben Jonson, the poet and dramatist, whom he much admired. Herrick is considered part of the “Tribe of Ben,” a group of poets including Richard Lovelace, John Suckling, and Thomas Carew. These men would later be considered part of the Cavalier Poets, as they supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. Herrick graduated from Cambridge at the age of 26. 

In 1623, Herrick took holy orders and became a cleric for the Church of England. Five years later, he was nominated as vicar of Dean Prior in Devonshire and was accepted. He was installed in 1630. Dean Prior was a remote village, and Herrick originally thought that his stay would be temporary. However, Herrick served there for 17 years until 1647, when he was removed by the Puritans during the English Civil War (1642-1651).

During his removal, Herrick moved to London to be with family and prepared his poetry for publication. Over his lifetime, Herrick wrote more than 2,500 poems, half of which were included in Hesperides: Or, The Works Both Humane & Divine (1648). This volume included famous lyrics such as “Delight in Disorder” and “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” as well Noble Numbers, a collection of spiritual works.

The monarchy was restored in 1660, with King Charles II taking the throne. Herrick, a supporter of the King’s family and monarchy, was returned to the Dean Prior vicarage two years later. He remained the vicar until his death in October 1674 at the age of 83. He was buried in the Dean Prior churchyard. 

Herrick never married, and the woman observed in “Delight in Disorder” is thought to be a fictional construction rather than a living person. From his death to the 19th century, Herrick was considered a minor poet. However, during the 19th century, his reputation grew due to his careful craftsmanship and the musicality of his verse. 

POEM TEXT

A sweet disorder in the dress 

Kindles in clothes a wantonness; 

A lawn about the shoulders thrown 

Into a fine distraction; 

An erring lace, which here and there 

Enthrals the crimson stomacher; 

A cuff neglectful, and thereby 

Ribands to flow confusedly; 

A winning wave, deserving note, 

In the tempestuous petticoat; 

A careless shoe-string, in whose tie 

I see a wild civility: 

Do more bewitch me, than when art 

Is too precise in every part. 

Herrick, Robert. “Delight in Disorder.” 1648. Poetry Foundation.

SUMMARY

Robert Herrick’s “Delight in Disorder” centers on the speaker’s observation of a woman’s attire, which is in slight disarray. The speaker admires the outfit’s less-than-perfect state, noticing how it stirs up a sense of sensuality within him. The linen shawl that the woman wears is casually placed about her arms, but the speaker finds this charming. The red bodice of the dress is entwined with some decorative trimming. An undone cuff exposes ribbons, but this is also appealing. The speaker also likes the wayward folds of the woman’s underskirt. Lastly, the speaker observes the woman’s shoe and its string, which is haphazardly bowed. The speaker admits that they are more intrigued by this woman’s “wild civility” (Line 12) than the perfection that others create in their ensembles, which, to him, is merely artifice.