Sonnet 7
Loe in the Orient when the gracious light,
Lifts up his burning head, each under eye
Doth homage to his new appearing sight,
Serving with lookes his sacred majesty,
And having climb'd the steepe up heavenly hill,
Resembling strong youth in his middle age,
Yet mortall lookes adore his beauty still,
Attending on his goulden pilgrimage;
But when from high-most pich with wery car,
Like feeble age he reeleth from the day,
The eyes (fore dutious) now converted are
From his low tract and looke an other way;
So thou, thy selfe out-going in thy noon,
Unlook'd on diest unlesse thou get a sonne.
Commentary
Address to a fair young man encouraging him to procreate
The first quatrain introduces the main symbol, the sun, commenting that everyone below (each under eye) pays homage to his majesty.
The second quatrain follows the sun's course up into the sky (climb'd the steepe up heavenly hill) and reports the reactions of the under-eyes to this progress. It is still regarded as a 'golden pilgrimage'.
The third quatrain follows the under-eyes' reaction further, commenting that they now turn away from this weary old sun as it sets, which, of course, is not true. But it should be.
The final couplet leaves much to unravel, in particular the expression 'thy selfe out-going in thy noon'. The idea seems to be that the young man will exceed the bounds (outgo) of his highest point (noon), and die unregarded unless he gets a son. Difficult to accept if the lad is only seventeen. People don't usually 'outgoe' their noon until their forties. The expression is also complicated by the fact that the poet adds the concept of 'thy selfe' at the beginning of the phrase, which implies that the young man somehow exceeds himself in his prime. You will notice also that 'noon' is no rhyme for 'sonne'. Was he in a rush?