Sonnet 34

Why didst thou promise such a beautious day,

And make me travaile forth without my cloake,

To let base cloudes ore-take me in my way,

Hiding thy brav'ry in their rotten smoke?

Tis not enough that through the cloude thou breake,

To dry the raine on my storme-beaten face,

For no man well of such a salve can speake,

That heales the wound, and cures not the disgrace:

Nor can thy shame give phisicke to my griefe,

Though thou repent, yet I have still the losse,

Th'offenders sorrow lends but weake reliefe

To him that beares the strong offenses cross.

Ah but those teares are pearls which thy love sheeds,

And they are ritch, and ransome all ill deeds.

Commentary

Address to a naughty young man

Changes to the original text: end of line 4, full stop changed to question mark; end of line 12, 'losse' changed to 'cross'.

In the first quatrain, the poet asks the young man why he promised that everything would be fine (a beautious day) and encouraged him to take no precautions (travaile forth without my cloake) only for other people (base clouds) to overtake him (the poet) hiding the young man's attractive attributes (brav'ry) behind their foulness (rotten smoke).

In the second quatrain, the poet continues the conceit (storme beaten face, cloud, raine). It would appear that the young man has afterwards spoken kindly to his lover, but though this may heal the wound, it does not heal the disgrace. One can only speculate what the offence might have been, but the poet clearly feels slighted (disgrace) by what has happened.

In the third quatrain, the poet observes that the fact that the naughty young man is now repentant does not change the fact of his (the poet's) loss.

Ah but, in the final couplet, the beloved seems to be forgiven because of the tears he sheds.

One scenario that possibly fits the elements and emotions expressed here would be that the poet has returned from his voyage, described in the several preceding sonnets, has once again made contact with the young man who has not told him of anything untoward, but when the poet goes out into society (travaile forth without my cloake) he meets with various people (base clouds) who eagerly regale him with stories about (rotten smoke) what the young man has been up to while he was away.

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