1. Full many a glorious morning have I seen
2. Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
3. Kissing with golden face the meadows green;
4. Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
5. Anon permit the basest clouds to ride,
6. With ugly rack on his celestial face,
7. And from the forlorn world his visage hide
8. Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace:
9. Even so my Sun one early morn did shine,
10. With all triumphant splendor on my brow,
11. But out, alack, he was but one hour mine,
12. The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now.
13. Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
14. Suns of the world may stain, when heaven's sun staineth.
One Hour Mine
Dedication: To Elizabeth
Reminding Elizabeth of the birth of their son Oxford uses the metaphor of the sun one morning shining. Making sure as well to remind her of the disgraceful crime committed as Henry was whisked away. One has to wonder how metaphorically the one hour time span was. Finishing with the thought that earthly sons go bad when the heavens provide the real cause through circumstances and events.
1st Quatrain: (1-4)
Oxford is making a pun on the Sun to represent his son who posses the sovereign eye.
2nd Quatrain: (5-8)
Cleverly playing on the setting sun being Henry's disgraced hiding in line 8. But more importantly speaking of the need to make himself the anonymous cloud that has blotted this beautiful sun (son).
3rd Quatrain: (9-12)
Possibly alluding to his son's birth before he was masked by the region cloud a clever alias for Regina a name frequently used for Elizabeth in line 12.
couplet (13-14),
Telling her that Henry's poor behavior is begotten by his own poor treatment.
Commentary:
Oxford in this sonnet is reminding Elizabeth of his dream to see her recognize Henry with his visions of Henry shining bright. Thus the usage of the metaphor of the sun is very much deliberate.However the key point of interest in this sonnet I believe, is actually the literal telling of the theft of his son. And once again the mentions of "stealing” and “disgrace" occur which connect to the much of the rest of the sonnet sequence to tell the larger story. In addition the usage of the third person reference to him is actually a very big and too often neglected clue concerning the true nature of the subject matter of the sonnet.
This poem is the culmination of Henry as the metaphorical Sun as already mentioned. Additionally the nature of this as a reflective poem spoken of things past evinces of the chronology.
Interesting that Vendler mentions in her comments to 21 that this is among the sonnets she thinks must be addressed to a man.