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. Sonnet 34 . Hamnet's Funeral Sonnet (original language, but moderately updated) 01. Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day, 02. And make me travel forth without my cloak, 03. To let base clouds o'er-take me in my way, 04. Hiding thy brav'ry in their rotten smoke. 05. 'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break, 06. To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face, 07. For no man well of such a salve can speak, 08. That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace: 09. Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief; 10. Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss, 11. Th' offender's sorrow lends but weak relief 12. To him that bears the strong offense's 13. Ah but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds, 14. And they are rich, and ransom all ill deeds. |
. Sonnet 34 . Hamnet's Funeral Sonnet (paraphrased) 01. Why did you, the morning sun, promise such a beautiful day, 02. And lead me to leave home without my raincoat, 03. Only to let offensive clouds overtake me on my way, 04. To hide your beauty behind their repugnant fumes? 05. It isn't enough that you, the sun, now break through the clouds, 06. And dry the raindrops from my weathered face, 07. For no man can speak well of the kind of treatment, 08. That heals the wound, but doesn't cure the mortification; 09. Nor can your expression of regret give comfort to my sorrow; 10. Although you change your ways, even so, I still have the loss; 11. The offender's sorrow provides only scant relief 12. To him who suffers the great offense's burden. 13. Ah, but those raindrops are pearly tears, which you, the morning, shed because of your love for me, 14. And since they're rich, they make up for all your bad deeds. |
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Sonnet 34 Gloss
L1: thou = morning; and also sun. (Mixed meaning.) L1: beauteous = beautiful (by being sunny.) L2: make me = lead me to. L2: travel forth = leave home. L2: cloak = raincoat. L3: To = only to. L3: base = low; 'mean.' Offensive. L4: Hiding = burying. L4: bravery = beauty; glory. L4: rotten smoke = repugnant fumes. (Note, to the right.) L7: salve = treatment. (Note, to the right.) L8: disgrace = shame. Or 'insult.' L9: shame = mortification. L9: physic = medicine. Comfort. L9: grief = injury; grievance. L10: repent = change your ways. L10: yet = even so. L10: still = always. L11: sorrow = regret. L11: lends = provides. L11: but = only. L11: weak = little. Scant. L12: strong = great, heavy. L12: bears = suffers. L12: cross [presumed] = burden. L13: tears = raindrops. (Note, to the right.) L13: pearl = pearly. Like pearls. L14: rich = valuable. L14: ransom = pay for, make up for. L14: ill deeds - (Note, to the right.) |
Sonnet 34 Notes
Sonnet 34 is Hamnet's Funeral Sonnet. ------- In the original printing, the word "loss" appears at the end of line 12, repeating "loss" at the end of line 10. It's presumably a misprint in line 12. Since the phrase "bear a cross" is so well known, the word at the end of line 12 should probably be "cross." I indicate that likelihood by showing "cross" in brackets. Sonnet 34 is a companion to Sonnet 33, 'Hamnet's Death Sonnet,' so concepts from that Sonnet carry over to this one. ------- L4: rotten smoke = repugnant fumes. "Rotten" suggests death. In Shakespeare's London, people burned all sorts of refuse to dispose of it, and also for heat. They certainly did not all have nice, clean hickory fires for warmth. Horses were the standard transportation, for those who didn't walk, and one way to dispose of horse manure is by burning it. Calling clouds "rotten smoke" may seem obscure to a modern reader, but to someone familiar with London in 1600 it would probably be understood instantly. The phrase casts the clouds, that obscured the sun, as being like the noxious smoke over London. It is an expression of extreme dislike for the clouds - in Stratford - on that particular day. L7: salve = treatment. Historically, "salve" is related to (or has been confused with) the words "save" and "salvage," so it suggests the sun trying to "save" or "salvage" the situation. L13: tears = raindrops. In line 13 the concept is that the morning is crying in sympathy with the Poet. L14: ill deeds The ill deed the morning did was to "bury the sun." |
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