1. But be contented when that fell arrest,
2. Without all bail shall carry me away,
3. My life hath in this line some interest,
4. Which for memorial still with thee shall stay.
5. When thou reviewest this, thou dost review,
6. The very part was consecrate to thee,
7. The earth can have but earth, which is his due.
8. My spirit is thine the better part of me,
9. So then thou hast but lost the dregs of life,
10. The prey of worms, my body being dead,
11. The coward conquest of a wretch's knife,
12. Too base of thee to be remembered,
13. The worth of that, is that which it contains,
14. And that is this, and this with thee remains.
Coward Conquest
Dedication: To Elizabeth
Expressing to Elizabeth how he expects to be arrested and taken away but reminding her that he does have “some interest” in her “line”. An reminding her that Henry is a memorial to her whether he is recognized or not. Then defiantly expressing that no matter what little worth is left in his life or death he still knows that he has provided a greater treasure.
1st Quatrain: (1-4)
Telling Elizabeth that his arrest might make her feel contended in line 1. Alluding to there being no way for bail in this situation in line 2. Telling her that his memorial will be contained in lines 3 and 4, as again his anonymity is revealed. Line 3 likely a pun on his interest being in Elizabeth’s line.
2nd Quatrain: (5-8)
Telling her of the sacred purpose of the lines written serve as they are dedications to her in lines 5 and 6. That the earth can only inherit the physical part of his body in line 7. That his spirit goes to her in line 8.
3rd Quatrain: (9-12)
Thus telling her that she only loses the worst part of him the physical embodiment in line 9. That this is for the earth worms only in line 10. That his executioner would preside over his frightened death in line 11. But that this phyiscal element wasn't worth being remembered in line 12.
couplet (13-14),
Finally telling her that what she inherits is these very lines. These and other incessant reminders of her crime to him.
Commentary:
This sonnet appears to be understood as exploring the poet's own death. The underlying context however is not merely the poet’s death but his complete end. It speaks of the loss of his memory and the victim of unspeakable circumstances and misery.
Oxford begins by raising the possibility of his death with the metaphor of criminal incarceration. And in the process puns on the vested interest he has in these poems and more specifically in her line.While in line 4 makes it clear that her own memorial will continue to remain with her and thus implying that others won't be aware of it.
He then treats Elizabeth in the next two quatrains and couplet to the thought that this poems are a dedication to a metaphorical transformation of herself and that this is for her to live on while he must be forgotten. Line 8 speaks of Henry as Oxford’s spirit being part of both he and Elizabeth. He also offers that the purpose of his own life is to memorialize Elizabeth (through Henry) while he is destined for an anonymous death.
An important metaphor in this sonnet is the night that takes (hides) away, a metaphor which will be explored much more thoroughly. The worms of line 10 which represent Oxford’s body’s fate with no legitimate heir are a prelude to the worms of the couplet of Sonnet 6 that will be the heir of Elizabeth.
Booth points out that the review of line 5 (reviewest) had a literary definition at this time in terms of looking over for editing but likely did not have one for literary criticism. What he failed to realize is Oxford is probably also alluding to is a formal inspection which Elizabeth would have known well.