1. My glass shall not persuade me I am old,
2. So long as youth and thou are of one date,
3. But when in thee time's furrows I behold,
4. Then look I death my days should expiate.
5. For all that beauty that doth cover thee,
6. Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
7. Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me:
8. How can I then be elder than thou art?
9. O therefore love be of thyself so wary
10. As I not for myself, but for thee will,
11. Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary
12. As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
13. Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain,
14. Thou gavest me thine, not to give back again.
My Heart is Slain
Dedication: To Elizabeth
Starts by telling Elizabeth that he refuses to believe he is old (though by now he is by his century’s standard) as long as Elizabeth has the possibility of renewal through Henry. Then explains to Elizabeth that when he sees time’s effect on her (thus without Henry) he eagerly awaits death himself. Explaining further that his love provides a cover to give that still cloak’s her in her youthful beauty. Further that there mutually shared heart’s make them one and thus then of the same age. Asks her to be careful of herself and her own intentions, as he must be because they each must act for the other, by virtue of bearing each other’s hearts. Thus he tells her to take care of his heart as a nurse would a child (reminder of Henry) because she carries his while he carries her heart, the one slain.
1st Quatrain: (1-4)
Telling Elizabeth that he will refuse to believe that he is old as long as there is the possibility of Elizabeth's renewal through Henry. However seeing Elizabeth's advancing age has the same effect on him, inferring how it is at odds with his with the previous thought.
2nd Quatrain: (5-8)
Telling her that her own great beauty is an allusion which is a result of his love which they mutually share. In line 8 facetiously and rhetorically asking how can be older than her and thus alluding to her possibility for her own renewal.
3rd Quatrain: (9-12)
Appealing to Elizabeth to act unselfishly has he has for her and as with the apt allusion of a woman taking care of an infant.
couplet (13-14),
Explaining her to act not what is in her own selfish heart when Oxford's is broken and reminding her that she gave her heart to him.
Commentary:
This is clearly a very late sonnet as Oxford expresses his own age. But the point of this sonnet is that age does not matter as long as he believes the Elizabeth and Henry are destined converge on the event of her recognizing Henry, which of course is the whole point of line 2. This as well should hopefully be seen as the prelude to the metaphorical procreation sonnets to come. Which I would argue reflect the urgency of the situation as I submit the sonnets will get more intense as we reach the end.
In line 2 the phrase “youth and thou are of one date” should be rather explicit as a reference to Henry’s recognition. Also the question asked of Elizabeth in line 8, how the poet can be older than herself is to be understood that Elizabeth has the possibility for renewal. Line 9 expresses that it is for Elizabeth’s will as should be understood that earlier Will sonnets had this meaning as well. Line 12 a near transparent attempt to elicit a loving remembrance of Henry as a child.
Vendler claims that “the whole of 22 springs from the fear that the young man is about to slay the speaker’s heart.