02067cam a22003013u 45000010005000000030007000050050017000120060002000290070005000310080041000360400011000770410017000880500007001051000021001122450014001332640051001473000047001983360026002453370026002713380036002975000031003335080091003645201164004555340045016196530019016647000040016838560042017238189UtSlPG20260610133218.0mcr n260607r2005||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPR1 aRowlands, Samuel14aThe Bride 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2005  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2005-05-01  aProduced by David Starner, Phil Petersen, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team  a"The Bride" by Samuel Rowlands is a poem written in the early 17th century, specifically around 1617. It is primarily a dialogue poem that explores themes related to marriage, virginity, and women's roles in society. Through the voices of various characters, it addresses the contrasting lifestyles and responsibilities of married women versus unmarried maidens, providing insight into the social dynamics of the time.  The narrative unfolds in a dialogue form where the Bride advocates for the joys and virtues of marriage, challenging the hesitant maidens who express their preference for single life. In response, the maidens voice various concerns about fidelity and the nature of men. The poem references the legendary birth of Merlin to illustrate the consequences of pride and disempowerment through single life. Ultimately, the Bride articulates eight key duties of wives in nurturing harmonious marriages, emphasizing loyalty and partnership. While it may not reach great poetic heights, Rowlands' work offers a glimpse into the societal expectations and gender roles prevalent in the early 17th century. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aEnglish poetry1 aPotter, Alfred Claghorn,d1867-194040uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8189