Post by Harry on Aug 1, 2002 23:13:27 GMT -5
In faith I do not love thee with mine eyes,
For they in thee a thousand errors note,
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who in despite of view is pleased to dote.
Nor are mine cars with thy tongue's tune delighted,
Nor tender feeling to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone:
But my five wits, nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be:
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin, awards me pain.
In some ways, this is Sonnet 130 revisited. However, here the mood is darker. In Sonnet 130 the Poet thought the Dark Lady beautiful despite her lack of convention marks of beauty. Here he says she is not at all beautiful, though he still loves her with his heart. The heart/eyes dichotomy was handled quite differently in the Youth sonnets.
There seems to be a progression in the Poet's attitude toward the Dark Lady. This is one of the arguments one might make that the sonnets are in the approximate order Shakespeare intended.
I note the use of "sin" to refer to the Poet's love of the Dark Lady in line 14. I'd say this supports my thesis that the Poet views sexual love as sinful (particularly outside of marriage).
Evens, in his note on line 13 mentions the theory of another commentator that there is a complex Latin pun on "plague" in line 13. "Plague" comes from the Latin "plaga" meaning "wound." "Wound" could be a metaphor for "vulva."
For they in thee a thousand errors note,
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who in despite of view is pleased to dote.
Nor are mine cars with thy tongue's tune delighted,
Nor tender feeling to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone:
But my five wits, nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be:
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin, awards me pain.
In some ways, this is Sonnet 130 revisited. However, here the mood is darker. In Sonnet 130 the Poet thought the Dark Lady beautiful despite her lack of convention marks of beauty. Here he says she is not at all beautiful, though he still loves her with his heart. The heart/eyes dichotomy was handled quite differently in the Youth sonnets.
There seems to be a progression in the Poet's attitude toward the Dark Lady. This is one of the arguments one might make that the sonnets are in the approximate order Shakespeare intended.
I note the use of "sin" to refer to the Poet's love of the Dark Lady in line 14. I'd say this supports my thesis that the Poet views sexual love as sinful (particularly outside of marriage).
Evens, in his note on line 13 mentions the theory of another commentator that there is a complex Latin pun on "plague" in line 13. "Plague" comes from the Latin "plaga" meaning "wound." "Wound" could be a metaphor for "vulva."