Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 7-12
Her robe, ungirt from clasp to hem,
No wrought flowers did adorn,
But a white rose of Mary's gift,
For service meetly worn;
Her hair that lay along her back
Was yellow like ripe corn.
- This second stanza picks up with the woman's description.
- So far, we have her holding lilies with stars in her hair. Now we also know that she's wearing an unbound ("ungirt" just means un-fastened) robe.
- It's not that fancy, either. Instead of a bunch of embellished ("wrought") flowers, the robe has just one white rose.
- Now, white is a color that's often associated with purity. That association is made stronger when we learn that this is given to the woman by Mary (Jesus's mother). The woman wears this rose as a sign of her service to Mary, which the speaker sees as appropriate ("meetly" means appropriately or suitably).
- Finally, we learn that the woman has yellow hair, which we're told via another simile resembles ripe corn—mmm, corn.
- To recap, then, we have a devout woman who is up in heaven, looking pure and fertile. She sounds like quite a catch.