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. Sonnet 45 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. The other two, slight air, and purging fire, 02. Are both with thee, wherever I abide, 03. The first my thought, the other my desire, 04. These present absent with swift motion slide. 05. For when these quicker Elements are gone 06. In tender Embassy of love to thee, 07. My life being made of four, with two alone, 08. Sinks down to death, oppressed with melancholy. 09. Until lives' composition be recured, 10. By those swift messengers return'd from thee, 11. Who even but now come back again assured, 12. Of their fair health, recounting it to me. 13. This told, I joy, but then no longer glad, 14. I send them back again and straight grow sad. |
. Sonnet 45 . (paraphrased) 01. The other two of my elements, light air, and burning fire, 02. Are both with you, wherever I am, 03. The first one, air, is my thoughts about you, the other, fire, is my desire for you, 04. These - now present for me, now absent for me - glide with swift motion, 05. For that, when these quicker elements are gone from me, momentarily, 06. In a tender "official greeting" of love to you, 07. My life, since it's made of four elemental humors, becomes short by two, 08. And I "sink into my own earth," oppressed with melancholy, 09. Until our lives' composition be remedied, 10. By those swift elemental messengers return'd from thee, 11. That instantly come back again to me, secured, 12. In their good healthiness, restoring it to me. 13. This counted, from two elements to four again, I'm happy, but then immediately, I'm no longer glad, as 14. I send my air and fire to you again, and straightaway become sad again. |
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Sonnet 45 Gloss
L1: The other two - Sonnet 45 is written as a continuation of Sonnet 44. L1: slight = light in the sense of weightless; insubstantial. L1: purging = burning; purifying. L3: desire - In the Poet's vocabulary, desire is "hot," a "fiery passion in the blood." Thus, "desire" goes with "fire." L4: present absent = now present, now absent. So quick in motion, they are here and there at nearly the same time. L4: slide = glide; fly like a bird. Can be understood as "sliding" like a skater on smooth ice. L6: Embassy = "official" greeting. (Note, to the right.) L7: four = the four humors that correspond to the four elements. L7: two alone - Double meaning. First, two elements alone. Second, two lonely persons. L8: Sinks down to death = "sinks" down entirely into earth. (Note, to the right.) Earth is used for burial of the dead. L9: lives' = our lives'. The correct word is "lives" as originally printed. (It is not "life's," the word typically found in modern reprints. The Poet is referring to the lives of both himself and his addressee.) L9: composition = combination (of elements and humors.) L9: recured = remedied; recombined. (Note, to the right.) L10: return'd = come back to our "one flesh." L11: assured = assuredly; or, 'secured.' L12: their fair health = their good healthiness. (Note, to the right.) "Their" is the word in the original printing, and it is correct. Modern reprints that change the word to "thy" are wrong. A pun with "there" is intended: their fair health / fair health there. L12: recounting = restoring. L13: told = counted up (from two to four.) L14: straight = straightaway. ------- Conceptually, as the Poet imagines conveying his thought and desire from himself to his wife, he's sending them from himself, to "himself," since the persons are "one flesh," so the only time he lacks the elements is during the momentary "travel time," of his imagination. He sends his air and fire to her. They travel quickly. As soon as she receives them, he receives them back, since the two are "one flesh." Having gotten them back, he immediately tries sending his air and fire, his thought and desire, to her again, and immediately gets them back again, to his "own flesh." And so on. In more literal terms, he's constantly wishing he could express his thoughts and desires to her, and he imagines doing so. But no matter how much he imagines communicating with her, his thoughts about her and his desires for her are still with him, alone. He's sure she knows he's thinking of her, and he's hoping she's well, but he doesn't really know. The Sonnet is rather difficult, but understanding the "one flesh" concept behind it should help. |
Sonnet 45 Notes
Sonnet 45 is by William Shakespeare, and was written to his wife at a time when they were apart. ------- L6: Embassy = "official" greeting. The implication, of their relationship having "official" significance, is consonant with the addressee being the Poet's wife. L8: Sinks down to death = "sinks" down entirely into earth. Earth is used for burial of the dead. The Poet, male, is "earth." His wife, female, is "water." When he sends his air and fire to her, that leaves him dominated by his "earth," so he is "buried in his own earth," so to speak, thus poetically "dead." L9: recured = remedied; recombined. The Poet is alluding to the relationship between the four humors theory, of health, and the classical four elements theory of nature. The classical associations are: black bile-earth ; phlegm-water ; blood-air ; yellow bile-fire. Different humors were associated with different moods. Particularly in relation to the Sonnet, black bile (earth) was associated with the melancholy stated in line 9. L12: their fair health = their good healthiness. "Their" is the word in the original printing, and it is correct. Modern reprints that change the word to "thy" are wrong. A pun with "there" is intended. The Poet is saying that the return of his missing elements restores his health. He is not saying that he's getting psychic messages from his addressee. The Sonnet is phrased in a way to go along with his wish that he could. However, the return of his elements implies a conclusion, poetically, about the addressee's health. "Man and wife are one flesh," as the Biblical saying goes. When the Poet's air and fire are sent to his wife, they are going to his "own flesh," therefore restoring his own elemental (humorous) balance for himself. The idea involved is not telepathy, it is the concept that "we are one." So, this allows a sure, if roundabout, conclusion that the other person is Mrs. Shakespeare, the Poet's "own flesh." The proper combination of his own elements would only restore health to his "own flesh." Under the Biblical proposition, that's his wife. The Poet is not saying he really knows how his wife is, while she's far away. He feels she should be all right. But when he poetically tries sending his air and fire to her again, in line 14, he's doing so because he doesn't really know how she is, which makes him sad, as stated at the conclusion of the Sonnet. Poetically, the Poet is wishing he could bring all their elements together: his male "earth," her female "water," and their combined air (thoughts,) and fire (desire.) It's a sublime way of expressing his longing for her, at the most "elemental" level. The original word "their" in line 12 is unquestionably correct, and it is most certainly not "thy." It is, however, an intended pun with "there." Changing the Poet's word to "thy," as most modern reprints mistakenly do, will interfere with correct interpretation of this Sonnet. Concerning the "their-there" pun in line 12 - their fair health / fair health there - the Poet is imagining that his elements have reported back that his wife is in good health, "fair health there," but he doesn't really know. It's an expression of his hopes and good wishes for her, in the absence of actual knowledge. Returning to line 2: 02. Are both with thee, wherever I abide The reason the elements are both with the Poet and with the addressee, at the same time, is because the Poet and his addressee are "one flesh." They're married. |
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