Sonnet 75

So are you to my thoughts as food to life,

Or as sweet season'd shewers are to the ground,

And for the peace of you I hold such strife,

As twixt a miser and his wealth is found.

Now proud as an injoyer, and anon

Doubting the filching age will steale his treasure,

Now counting best to be with you alone,

Then betterd that the world may see my pleasure;

Some-time all ful with feasting on your sight,

And by and by cleane starved for a looke,

Possessing or pursuing no delight

Save what is had, or must from you be tooke.

Thus do I pine and surfet day by day,

Or gluttoning on all, or all away.

Commentary

Address to his beloved

Changes to the original text: end of line 8, comma changed to semi-colon

In the first quatrain, the poet likens the relationship of his beloved to the relationship of food to life, or showers to the earth, or a miser to his wealth.

In the second quatrain, the poet extends the comparison with the miser and his gold, pointing out that at one moment he (the miser) is the proud enjoyer of his wealth, at the next moment fears (doubting) that thieves (filching age) will steal his treasure. He (the poet) similarly oscillates between the pleasure of having his beloved all to himself, and showing the world his pleasure in his beloved's company.

In the third quatain, the poet sees his possession of the beloved varying between surfeit and starvation, because he has no delight other than what derives from his beloved.

In the final couplet, the poet states once again the oscillation between surfeit and starvation.

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