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. Sonnet 33 . Hamnet's Death Sonnet (original language, but moderately updated) 01. Full many a glorious morning have I seen, 02. Flatter the mountaintops with sovereign eye, 03. Kissing with golden face the meadows green; 04. Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy; 05. Anon permit the basest clouds to ride, 06. With ugly rack on his celestial face, 07. And from the forlorn world his visage hide 08. Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace: 09. Even so my Sun one early morn did shine, 10. With all triumphant splendor on my brow, 11. But out alack, he was but one hour mine, 12. The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now. 13. Yet him for this, my love no whit disdaineth, 14. Suns of the world may stain, when heaven's sun staineth. |
. Sonnet 33 . Hamnet's Death Sonnet (paraphrased) 01. I have seen a great many glorious mornings 02. Beautify the peaks by beaming upon them, 03. Kissing, with golden light, the green of the meadows, 04. Gilding the watery streams with delightful magic; 05. But soon, the morning will permit the meanest clouds to ride roughshod, 06. With ugly ruin, across his heavenly face, 07. And the morning will hide his face, the sun, from the sad world, 08. Stealing the sun away unseen to the west, in his shame. 09. Even so, like that, my own Son appeared early one morning, 10. (With all jubilant splendor on my face,) 11. But he's gone, alack, he was only briefly mine, 12. The dark overcast, on my world, has hidden him from me now. 13. Yet my love for him diminishes not a bit because he's gone, 14. The mortal sons of this world may darken, in memory, when heaven's sun darkens. |
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Sonnet 33 Gloss
L1: Full many = Often. A great many. L1: morning = morning sun. (Note, to the right.) L2: Flatter = Make more pleasing to the eye. Beautify. L2: mountaintops = heights, peaks. L2: sovereign eye - (Note, to the right.) L3: Kissing = 'lightly touching.' The Sun's "light touch" is a touch of light. L3: golden face = the sun's face, the "face" of light. The sun's "face" is 'light.' L4: pale = transparent. Clear as in 'watery.' Streams are "watery," of course. L4: heavenly = delightful. L4: alchemy = magic. The ability to transform. L5: Anon permit = Soon (the morning will) permit. The Poet is continuing to speak of what a morning will do. L5: basest = lowest. Meanest, most reprehensible. L5: ride = ride roughshod. L6: ugly = causing ugliness. L6: rack = ruin, wreckage. (Note, to the right.) L6: celestial = heavenly, and with the further implication of 'angelic.' L7: forlorn = sad. L7: his visage = the sun. The sun is the "face" of the morning. L7: hide = cover. In context, 'bury.' L8: Stealing - taking away (the sun.) L8: disgrace = shame, dishonor. L9: my Sun = my son. L9: shine = appear. L10: triumphant = jubilant. L10: brow = forehead. There's wordplay with 'brow' as in the top of a hill. It's a synecdoche for 'face.' L11: out = gone. L11: alack = woe! Alas! It's literal in that he now lacks his son. L11: one hour = very briefly. L12: region cloud = dark overcast. Clouds that cover his whole region, clouds that darken his entire world. L12: mask'd = hidden (my son's face.) L13: for = because of; over. L13: whit = tiny amount. L13: distaineth = diminishes (the brightness of.) L14: Suns = sons. L14: stain = dim, darken. (In memory.) L14: staineth = darkens. |
Sonnet 33 Notes
Sonnet 33 is Hamnet's Death Sonnet. Shakespeare wrote Sonnet 33 about the death of his son, Hamnet, who was buried on August 11, 1596. (The lack of recognition of the meaning of this Sonnet is surprising. There really are people who can see the phrase "my Sun" and get nothing at all out of it, strange as that may seem.) Sonnet 33 was written in 1596. ------- L1: morning = morning sun. The concepts of "morning" and 'morning sun' are mixed for poetic effect, and for meaning. "Sun" puns with 'son,' and "morning" puns with 'morning.' Morning / sun -- mourning / son. People think of puns as fun things, just amusing, because that's how an average writer uses them. But Shakespeare was not an average writer. You don't see serious puns often, but these are quite serious puns, indeed. These puns are not for amusement. L2: mountaintops = heights, peaks. The word refers to the highest points, whether actual mountains or not. Poetically, a tall building in a town can be a "mountain," and a vacant lot can be a "moor," if one wishes to look at it that way. L2: sovereign eye Poetically, the sun is the great ruling eye of heaven. Then, a radiant gaze is a "beam," so the concept is of sunbeams being like a "beam" from an eye. L6: rack = ruin, wreckage. A "rack" is also the gait of a horse, so the word usage is compatible with "ride" in line 5. |
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