Embedded Files
Mine eye and heart are at a mortall warre,
How to devide the conquest of thy sight,
Mine eye, my heart thy pictures sight would barre,
My heart, mine eye the freedome of that right,
My heart doth plead that thou in him doost lye,
(A closet never pearst with christall eyes)
But the defendant doth that plea deny,
And sayes in him thy faire appearance lyes.
To 'cide this title is impannelled
A quest of thoughts, all tennants to the heart,
And by their verdict is determined
The cleere eyes moyitie, and the deare hearts part,
As thus, mine eyes due is their outward part,
And my hearts right, thy inward love of heart.
Commentary
Commentary
Address to a fair young man
Address to a fair young man
Changes to the original text: line 3, 'their' changed to 'thy'; line 8, 'their' changed to 'thy'; comma changed to full stop; line 9, 'side' changed to 'cide'; line 14, 'their' changed to 'thy'.
In the first quatrain, the poet tells his beloved that his eye and heart are at war concerning which owns the young man's image.
In the second quatrain, the poet pursues the argument between the heart and eyes.
In the third quatrain, the poet says that, in order to decide ('cide) the issue, a jury (quest) of thoughts has been impanelled, which has decided the issue.
The final couplet gives the verdict: the eyes are to have the beloved's outward part, the heart the inward.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse