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. Sonnet 44 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. If the dull substance of my flesh were thought, 02. Injurious distance should not stop my way; 03. For then despite of space I would be brought, 04. From limits far remote, where thou dost stay, 05. No matter then although my foot did stand 06. Upon the farthest earth remov'd from thee, 07. For nimble thought can jump both sea and land, 08. As soon as think the place where he would be. 09. But ah, thought kills me that I am not thought 10. To leap large lengths of miles when thou art gone, 11. But that so much of earth and water wrought, 12. I must attend time's leisure with my moan. 13. Receiving naughts by elements so slow, 14. But heavy tears, badges of either's woe. |
. Sonnet 44 . (paraphrased) 01. If the heavy substance of my flesh were, instead, thought itself, 02. The distance, that makes me suffer, would not keep me away from you, 03. Because, despite the distance, I would go like a spirit 04. From any remote location, to the place where you are; 05. It wouldn't matter then, even if I stood 06. At the place on earth farthest away from you, 07. Because thought is so nimble it can jump oceans and continents, 08. As quickly as a person can think where he'd like to be. 09. But oh, my thoughts about that break my heart, since I'm not pure thought, 10. That can leap any great distance of miles, to you, when you're not here; 11. But there's so much, made of earth and water, between us, 12. I can only accompany my unoccupied time, away from you, with my laments; 13. Communicating nothing, either way, via elements so slow, 14. Except my own heavy tears, symbols of our woe. |
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Sonnet 44 Gloss
L1: dull = heavy. (Note, to the right.) L2: injurious = unjust. "Injurious" by causing suffering for the Poet, which he of course views as "unjust." L2: stop my way = prevent me from making my way (to you.) L3: space = distance. L3: brought = summoned It hints of summoning a spirit - like Ariel in the Tempest. L4: limits = distant frontiers. (Note, to the right.) L4: stay = dwell. L8: he = it. L9: kills me = breaks my heart. (Note, to the right.) L10: gone = not in my presence. 'Not here.' Should not be read to imply that the addressee is away from her home. It only means the Poet and addressee are apart. L11: that = there's. L11: so much = so much distance. L11: wrought = made. L12: attend = accompany. The Poet has only his own moan to accompany him, rather than the addressee, whom he would much prefer. L12: time's leisure = time that's unoccupied. (Note, to the right.) L12: moan = lamentation. L13: naughts = nothing either way (earth or water.) The plural is correct in the original, since there are two elements referenced. Modern reprints that use the singular are wrong. L13: slow - In the theory of four elements, (earth, water, air, fire,) earth and water are the heavy, "slow" elements, and air and fire are the lighter elements. L14: heavy = "earthly." Has reference to the Poet's own tears, from his "earth," his material body. "Heavy" has a conceptual link to "dull" and "slow." L14: badges = tokens; symbols. Could be read as 'emblems.' L14: either's - Both the Poet and the addressee's, and also earth and water's. (Double meaning.) (Note, to the right.) |
Sonnet 44 Notes
The reference to the elements, earth and water, identifies Sonnet 44 as being to a woman (probably Mrs. Shakespeare.) As follows. The Poet identifies himself, or his mortal body, that is, as "earth." (Sonnet 146: "Poor soul, the center of my sinful earth.") The Poet is male. So, "earth" = the Poet himself, a male. Water is classically associated with the moon, which is poetically female. Thus, the addressee, associated with water, is female. "Water" = the addressee, a female. The woman of whom Shakespeare would have written, who was far away, would have been his wife, in Stratford. Sonnet 44 is nicely accomplished, but not as intricate as the height of Shakespeare's work. It may date from the early 1590s. ------- L1: dull = heavy. It anticipates the mention of "earth," a 'heavy' element. The word "dull" also implies "stupid." Compared to ideal Thought, mortal flesh is "stupid." It indicates the Poet wishing he could think of a way to be with the addressee, but circumstances forbid. L4: limits = distant frontiers. Human areas (neighborhoods, towns, counties, countries, etc.) are defined by their limits, their boundaries. Here, "limits" means "beyond the limits," which would be a distant frontier. It does not imply the Poet is outside England - poetically, London could be called a "distant frontier," outside the limits of Warwickshire. The word "limit" is a compatible word usage, with respect to the mentioned limitation on the Poet's ability to travel, because he is not immaterial. L9: kills me = breaks my heart. The "heart" equivalent is dictated by the idea of love, which is associated with the heart. The word "love" does not appear in this Sonnet, but it's obviously implied, and thus "heart" is implied, also. L12: time's leisure = time that's unoccupied. The idea has a double implication - both time that's unoccupied in the sense of not being spent with the addressee; and also unoccupied in the sense of having nothing to engage his attention, like his work at the theater. L14: either's - Both the Poet and the addressee's, and also earth and water's. (Double meaning.) The Poet's tears are his "earth's" tears. The tears, themselves, are "woeful water," and also the Poet presumes his addressee, a woman, is tearful, too. |
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