Sonnet 143

1. Lo as a careful housewife runs to catch,

2. One of her feathered creatures broke away,

3. Sets down her babe and makes all swift dispatch

4. In pursuit of the thing she would have stay:

5. Whilst her neglected child holds her in chase,

6. Cries to catch her whose busy care is bent,

7. To follow that which flies before her face:

8. Not prizing her poor infant's discontent;

9. So runn'st thou after that which flies from thee,

10. Whilst I thy babe chase thee afar behind,

11. But if thou catch thy hope, turn back to me:

12. And play the mother's part kiss me, be kind.

13. So will I pray that thou mayst have thy Will,

14. If thou turn back and my loud crying still.

Abandonment

Dedication: To Elizabeth

He begins the sonnet using an especially suitable metaphor of housewife inattentive to her child. How the "housewife" is in pursuit of what she would have if she had merely halted (with possible allusions to self moderation and a palace stay). Then utilizing the perspective of the child, suggesting when she catches him to then play the "mothers part". Then playing on his own pseudonym, that she may have him, along with her own stubborn conviction to have what she wants/has. Thus when she has what she wants, she then can return to both the wails of the poet and this supposedly metaphorical child.

1st Quatrain: (1-4)

This metaphor of a housewife going after one of her foul and neglecting her child . The "feather'd creature" represents her throne "in pursuit of the thing she would have stay" is meant to reflect that her throne is not going anywhere despite her fears.

2nd Quatrain: (5-8)

A continuation of the metaphor clearly intended to play on the guilt of the neglect of a child. This metaphor is of course no accident and without such a child it clearly doesn't have the same effect. At least I don't think a hypothetical child works nearly so well.

3rd Quatrain: (9-12)

Line 10, here a change occurs so that this poem is now written from the child's perspective. An attempt I believe to give a young Henry a voice he still does not have.

couplet (13-14),

What the poet means by this last couplet probably reflects that there is more than merely turning back to this child for this metaphorical “housewife” to do.


Commentary:

This sonnet uses a somewhat transparent allegory of a neglected infant to attempt to influence correct Elizabeth for the neglect and abandonment of her child. In support of the narrative of the sonnets being told in reverse, I argue that this sonnet and many that follow become more clever and specialized in specific themes as discussed already. Thus the poems would likely become harder to interpret and contain slightly fewer clues but for the possibility for us to take what we have learned already and connect them more carefully. However given what we already know and the corroborating information provided in the beginning section and in the sonnets from the Passionate Pilgrim (other early sonnets), ample information is available to see the rich story being painted collectively by these poems. Also perhaps more interestingly a way to see more clearly the poet’s development.


It should be interesting that the poet ties his own emotion to this supposed allegory in the couplet. I also offer that this sonnet is a "proto" Will sonnet, before 136 and 135 where he makes more explicit usage.

Helen Vendler’s comment that this sonnet reflects the lady pursuing her new love while the poet pursues her and says, the “point of this preposterous little allegory is of course a transparently implausible attempt to justify the lady’s infidelity”. While I certainly agree that the allegory is transparent I hope that it makes far better sense in this new light.