Sonnet 26

Lord of my love, to whome in vassalage

Thy merrit hath my dutie strongly knit;

To thee I send this written ambassage

To witnesse duty, not to shew my wit.

Duty so great, which wit so poore as mine

May make seeme bare, in wanting words to shew it;

But that I hope some good conceipt of thine

In thy soules thought (all naked) will bestow it;

Til whatsoever star that guides my moving,

Points on me gratiously with faire aspect,

And puts apparrell on my tottered loving,

To show me worthy of thy sweet respect,

Then may I dare to boast how I doe love thee,

Til then, not show my head where thou maist prove me.

Commentary

Address to a lordly young man

Changes to the original text: line 12, 'their' changed to 'thy'.

In the first quatrain, the poet tries to express his humility and sincerity towards the young man, using concepts of 'lordship', 'vassalage' and 'duty', claiming that he does not write to make a display of his own wit, but rather out of duty.

In the second quatrain, the poet continues to speak of his duty towards the young man, and hopes that the young man himself will flesh out what he (the poet) has to say with some 'good conceipt'.

In the third quatrain, the poet expresses the hope that the young man will continue in this manner until he (the poet) has found ideas (apparrell) to express what he feels.

The final couplet expresses the idea that until he has found the words to use, he (the poet) will hide himself (not show my head).

There is probably an undertone of sexual innuendo in this sonnet running through the ideas of vassalage, wit, bare, soules thought, all naked, show my head, thou maist prove me.

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