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. Sonnet 15 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. When I consider every thing that grows 02. Holds in perfection but a little moment, 03. That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows 04. Whereon the Stars in secret influence comment, 05. When I perceive that men as plants increase, 06. Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky: 07. Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease, 08. And wear their brave state out of memory. 09. Then the conceit of this inconstant stay 10. Sets you most rich in youth before my sight, 11. Where wasteful time debateth with decay, 12. To change your day of youth to sullied night; 13. And all in war with Time for love of you 14. As he takes from you, I engraft you new. |
. Sonnet 15 . (paraphrased) 01. When I consider, everything that lives 02. Reaches its perfection for only a brief time, and 03. That this huge stage, of the human world, presents only shows, 04. With which the planets, using their hidden influence, communicate, and 05. When I perceive that men, like plants, grow and flourish, 06. Encouraged or discouraged, similarly, under the same sky, of day or night, winter or summer, and that men 07. Glory in their youthful vigor, but from their height they decline, 08. And afterwards put on a brave show, out of remembrance of what they were, 09. Then, the conception of this temporary residence, of life on earth, 10. Places you, most sweet and splendid in youth, before my eyes, and I see 11. How destroying time degrades, through decay, 12. To turn your "day" of youthfulness to darkened, buried night, 13. And totally devoted to war against Time, for love of you, 14. Since Time will take away qualities and attributes from you, I try to "engraft" you anew, by encouraging you to grow a new "branch" of your family. |
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Sonnet 15 Gloss
L1: thing that grows = a living thing. L2: Holds = stays. "Holds in" can be understood as 'reaches.' One holds that which one can reach. L2: little = brief. "Little moment" = brief time. L3: stage = the world of human beings. (Note, to the right.) L3: shows = appearances, semblances. Implies 'productions,' in connection with the advice the addressee should have an heir. L4: Stars = Planets. An astrology reference. L4: secret = hidden, in the sense of being imperceptible. 'Unheard.' L4: comment = communicate. (Note, to the right.) L5: increase = grow and propagate. L6: Cheered and checked = encouraged and discouraged. The "courage" understanding is in anticipation of "vaunt" and "brave." L6: sky - (Note, to the right.) L7: Vaunt = glory, triumph. Suggests 'vainglory.' L7: sap = liquid of life. Blood, for a person. Youthful blood is youthful 'vigor.' L8: wear = put on. L8: brave state = brave show. "State" can also be read as 'style.' L8: memory = remembrance (of what they were at height.) L9: conceit = concept, conception. Visualization in the mind. In this case, it's a worrisome picture, that the addressee must someday decline and die. L9: inconstant stay = temporary hold on life and glory. Links back to the Stars, the 'inconstant' planets. Can be read 'temporary residence' (of life on earth.) L10: Sets = places. L10: rich = highly pleasing in all relevant respects. (Note, to the right.) 'Sweet and splendid.' L11: wasteful = wasting, destroying. L11: debateth = deliberates; debases, degrades. (Note, to the right.) L11: with decay = through decay. L12: sullied = darkened; no longer bright and shining. (Note, to the right.) L13: all at = totally devoted to. L14: as - Can either be read literally, or as 'since.' For 'since' the verb "takes" is read 'will take.' L14: takes from - As in causing leaves to fall, and branches to die. The plant/gardening metaphor applies. Could also be understood as 'robs' or 'steals.' L14: "engraft" = bud. (Note, to the right.) |
Sonnet 15 Notes
L3: stage = the world of human beings. The famous quotation is from As You Like It. ~=~ All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players... =~=~= L4: comment = communicate. There's an implication of "interpret" in the sense of the interpreter, or explainer, for a puppet show. One can see human life as a "puppet show," for which astrology attempts to provide an "interpretation." Compare this from Hamlet Scene 9 (Act 3 scene 2) at the 'Mousetrap Play'. ~=~ Ophelia: You are as good as a Chorus, my Lord. Hamlet: I could interpret between you and your love If I could see the puppets dallying. =~=~= L6: sky Refers to the skies of day and night, respectively, following "cheered and checked." The daytime sky "cheers," the nighttime sky "checks." Line 6 has implicit analogy to life and death, day being life, the time of cheer, and night, death, the time of check. The summer sky, versus the winter sky, can also be inferred. L10: rich = highly pleasing in all relevant respects. 'Sweet and splendid.' The line 10 phrase, "sets you most rich" is an analogy to dessert being served. The general ideas of life, growth, and decline are the main 'feast,' and the Poet then turns his thoughts to the addressee, as the "rich" dessert. The Poet is 'consuming' ideas with his mind, which is analogous to consuming a feast, of dishes (ideas) set one after another on the table of his imagination. Compare this usage of "table" in 'Hamlet', Scene 5 (Act 1 scene 5.) ~=~ Yea, from the table of my memory I'll wipe away all trivial, fond records... =~=~= The mind/memory is a "table." The Sonnet offers implicit "table" wordplay in that way. L11: debateth = deliberates; debases, degrades. The meaning can also be taken as 'has dialogue with,' or 'conspires.' "Debates" would ordinarily mean "opposes," but this is a contrary usage. Here, it means time going along with decay. L12: sullied = darkened; no longer bright and shining. It suggests the literal, soiled, an implicit allusion to the literal dirt of the grave. From the literal implication, "sullied" can be read 'buried.' It can also be read 'disgraced' literally, i.e. 'dis-'(negation) + 'grace.' L14: "engraft" = bud. Grafting is done to try to create new growth from older stock. The Poet is the gardener 'grafting' the addressee, to try to produce a new 'branch,' a child, an heir. A graft may succeed, or fail; at the time the graft is done, the gardener doesn't yet know. So, the Poet's "grafting" is him trying to encourage the addressee to 'grow' a new 'branch of the family' by getting married and having an heir. "Graft" obviously suggests 'graph' = writing. The implication of writing goes beyond the Sonnets. The Poet "wrote people new" by turning them into play characters, who might become immortal through publication. That was Shakespeare's occupation, after all, the composition of plays. The addressee for these Sonnets is probably the basis for a play character, perhaps more than one character. Which character, is the question. That is not easy to say. The character will be young, attractive, and marriage will be a topic in the play. I have no character identification to offer at this time. |
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