The poem is based on the grief and loss of the narrator with complete vibrant imagery. The poet is reminiscing about his daughter's death, ‘pearl,’ when he falls asleep in a garden. The speaker starts dreaming about a beautiful land where he spots a pretty maiden across the stream. The maiden has donned a white gown covered with pearls. The pretty damsel consoles the poet and tells him to worry less about the death of his daughter. The physical body dies, but the spiritual body always remains alive in heaven.
The maiden informs the narrator that she has become a Lord’s bride in heaven. However, the poet is not convinced enough because he believes the only bride of the Lord is the Virgin Mary. Indeed, the maiden confuses the narrator even further when she refers to everybody in heaven as king or queen. When the narrator asks the maiden to tell him about the other brides, she takes him to a golden twelve-gated city called Jerusalem. The poet loves the city and wants to cross the stream to join the brides. However, he wakes up during that moment and finds himself sleeping in the garden.
Pearl symbolizes the revival of old poetic styles during the 14th century in the middle part of England. The language used in the poem is full of creative phrases, some of which are borrowed from Latin. Pearl is a poem that uses ancient structures but with greater agility and flexibility. The poem is a clear indication of how human pain can be relieved by Christian hope.
