1. The forward violet thus did I chide,
2. Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells
3. If not from my love's breath, the purple pride,
4. Which on thy soft cheek for complexion dwells?
5. In my love's veins thou hast too grossly died,
6. The Lily I condemned for thy hand,
7. And buds of marjoram had stol'n thy hair:
8. The Roses fearfully on thorns did stand,
9. Our blushing shame, another white despair:
10. A third nor red, nor white, had stol'n of both,
11. And to his robbery had annex'd thy breath,
12. But, for his theft, in pride of all his growth
13. A vengeful canker eat him up to death.
14. More flowers I noted, yet I none could see,
15. But sweet, or colour it had stol'n from thee.
In Pride of His Growth
Dedication: To Elizabeth
Using the ever present veiling metaphor of the flower, talks of Elizabeth and of the abduction of Henry as the one “sweet that smells” from Elizabeth as the purple flower (for royalty) for which the other flower (the lily associated with purity and the first light in the book of Genesis) has originated. Mentions how Oxford has sacrificed the lily for Elizabeth’s hand. The third flower (“nor white nor red”) refers to himself. For which he speaks of stealing from both, by virtue of his secret relationships with both. Elizabeth is portrayed as both purple and red (red to represent her Tudor lineage). He reflects on the disease which has infected the flower that is Henry and threatens to “eat him up to death”. Finishes with the discussion of how these flowers are mere allusions to who he speaks of but the effects are very much as real.
1st Quatrain: (1-4)
Comparing Elizabeth to the violet flower which she embodies because of its royal color and tells her that scolds her (it) in line 1. Rhetorically Asking her when she stole the sweet (Henry) that smells in line 2. Using breath as a metaphor for her existence and playing on her royal pride in line 3. Further using her cheek as representing her flesh tells where this pride dwells in line 4.
2nd Quatrain: (5-8)
Expressing the concealment of Henry in reference to that which has too grossly been "dyed" in line 5. While Line 6 tells us that the lily is Henry condemned for Elizabeth's hand . While line 7 is a reference to the marjoram plant which has tiny fuzz on the leaves thus representing this flower's disapproval of the mistreatment of this lily and thus stealing her hair which had probably lost its own color by now. And again with line 8 telling of the roses disapproval they being significant as representing Elizabeth's Tudor heritage in addition to the association with Henry.
3rd Quatrain: (9-13)
Continuing with the roses blushing shame in line 9. In line 10 the third flower is Oxford who has had both flowers stolen from him. While in line 11 tells her that this theft is really also stealing life from her. While line 12 refers to Henry's theft and plays on the growth of Henry as a young child.
couplet (14-15),
Finishing up with Henry's flower eaten up by vengeful disease (Elizabeth)
Commentary:
This homily works by playing on the Roses that come with the Tudor dynasty and the name Wriothesly (likely pronounce Rosely), the poet again explains the curse and the crime committed against the child with talk of growth, robbery, and theft and the canker that eats “him” up “to death”. Thus this poem is completely outside its context when taken away from the particular characters involved. It is my feeling when read in the proper context one can actually see how “Shakespearean” the poems are. That they exhibit every bit of the ingenuity of the plays.
This is the first instance of usage of one of the most important metaphors Shakespeare uses to represent his son. Ultimately this flower will be tied to the story of Venus and Adonis for which the traditional myth, the death of the Adonis facilitated the growth of the flowers where blood hit the ground. Of course Shakespeare adapted this story to tell of his own seduction and disappearance to facilitate the growth of the single purple (royal) flower (his child). As we have seen this theme of anonymity already expressed but it will become more integral as the poet expresses both his own self and state enforced disappearance. In addition the ending is a clear allusion to what should exist that doesn’t and what was “stolen”.
Line 3's purple pride is not only reminiscent of the purple flower of Venus and Adonis but the "Flower of this purple dye" referred to by Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream (III, ii). But from the breath alludes to the live given to it by the subject.
Line 5's died is invariably corrected to dyed. But likely intended to reflect the metaphorical death these sonnets speak of.
Line 9 is frequently editorially corrected so that Our becomes One. However it very much suggest a more personal nature of the mutual shame felt by poet and subject.
In contrast the last line, Kathryn Duncan Jones in the Arden Shakespeare says “this somewhat lame conclusion fails to modify, undercut or refine what has gone before”. What Ms. Jones fails to recognize of course is that the commentary on the death of the flower as stealing from the subject is an intrinsic part of this sonnet and a most important message for the subject if one is to properly understand these sonnets.
Vendler provides a helpful exposition of the meaning of the words of this sonnet with no seeming reflection on what the actual message is. Her only comment is that it is “a narrative of self blame rather than a blame of the beloved”. She also mentions that it is an unrepeated experiment of a fifteen line sonnet. She evinces a complete failure to explain the meaning of the robbery or to see the relationship to thievery and crime mentioned in the many other sonnets though she is certainly aware of it. The most interesting interpretation she makes is that the quarto provides a “warning to the young man –that the pride gained by means of greed and thievery leads to fear, shame, and despair, and ultimately to death by worms”. And that the speaker tells the young man that the roses standing fearfully on their thorns have taken on their color from shame (red) or despair (white) …’’ and that this shame and despair in the roses arises “because they fear to be condemned as thieves by the speaker”… “since they” ...”have stolen their colour from the young man’s red and white”.
Leishman in Themes and Variations remarks on Shakespeare's lack of attribution of a theft to the Violet. Attributes to being unfinished and further regards it as being so poor, he comments on the inability to date the sonnets. Further he suggests this was likely evidence that Shakespeare could "slip back" to average demonstrations of sonneteering skill.