In line 1 of “Whoso List to Hunt,” the narrator states that for those who wish to hunt, he knows of a particular hind, a female deer. The narrator himself is trying to abandon the hunt, acknowledging in line 2 that this hind is beyond his reach. Indeed, he is “wearied” from the “vain travail,” the useless work, of the hunt; he has begun to recognize the futility of the pursuit. He laments in the fourth line that he is the last of the pursuers, the one “that farthest cometh behind.”
In the second stanza, the narrator states that he cannot take his “wearied mind . . . from the deer.” When she flees, he proclaims, “Fainting I follow.” Nevertheless, he is ultimately forced to indeed abandon the chase, as.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 371 words. This
study guide contains 7,290 words (approx. 24 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Whoso List to Hunt Access Pass.
