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. Sonnet 67 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. Ah wherefore with infection should he live, 02. And with his presence grace impiety, 03. That sin by him advantage should achieve, 04. And lace itself with his society? 05. Why should false painting imitate his cheek, 06. And steal dead seeing of his living hue? 07. Why should poor beauty indirectly seek, 08. Roses of shadow, since his Rose is true? 09. Why should he live, now nature bankrupt is, 10. Beggared of blood to blush through lively veins, 11. For she hath no exchequer now but his, 12. And proud of many, lives upon his gains? 13. O him she stores, to show what wealth she had, 14. In days long since, before these last so bad. |
. Sonnet 67 . (paraphrased) 01. Ah, why should he live with infection, 02. And by his mere presence grace immorality, 03. So that sin should achieve an advantage through him, 04. And prettify itself by being in his company? 05. Why should a false appearance, from the use of makeup, mock his real cheek, 06. And take away the dead look of his real complexion? 07. Why should his impoverished beauty seek 08. The ghosts of his former healthy cheeks, since he still has the "blossom" of his life? 09. Why should he live, now that his natural vitality is exhausted, 10. Impoverished of red blood to flow through energetic veins - 11. Is the answer that Nature has no "treasury" now but him, 12. And while proud of her many "accounts," is living on his reserves alone, (so she has to keep him alive)? 13. No, Nature keeps him alive, to display what's left of the treasure she used to have, 14. In days long ago, before these last, so miserable. |
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Sonnet 67 Gloss
L1: infection = disease. L2: impiety = immorality. L4: lace = prettify; try to make (itself) pretty. Lace is a "pretty" addition. Can also be understood as "favor." L5: painting = makeup; cosmetics. Not necessarily to imply he's actually using makeup to try to improve his appearance, rather he may be asking why he'd even bother to consider it. L6: steal = take away. L6: dead seeing = dead appearance. Refers to "dead looking." When the Poet looks in the mirror he thinks he looks dead. L6: hue = complexion. L7: poor = impoverished. L7: seek = try to find. Try to "summon," figuratively speaking. L8: shadow = ghost. Reference to a "ghost" of former beauty, a pale imitation. L8: Rose = blossom. (Note, to the right.) L8: true = living. A "true" rose is a living rose, not a paper or cloth imitation. L9: nature = natural vitality. L9: bankrupt = exhausted. L10: Beggared = impoverished. "Beggared of blood" - One may surmise that, in those days, the doctor has bled him. L11: she = Nature (personified.) L11: exchequer = treasury. L12: many = many depositors; many accounts. Figurative. L12: gains = reserves. Financial reserves (figuratively.) L13: stores = saves; keeps alive. |
Sonnet 67 Notes
In Sonnet 67 the Poet is sick - feeling like he might as well die - perhaps suffering from "rose," erysipelas, mistaken as a symptom of sexually transmitted disease. Sonnet 67 is probably by Edward de Vere. ------- L8: Rose The word may have an undertone of allusion to the disease erysipelas, which is an acute streptococcus skin infection, one of the symptoms of which is an obvious red rash on the face. "Rose" is an old common name for erysipelas, because of the rash. It is a serious disease, and can be fatal; John Dryden was apparently among the victims, historically, and it's thought to have claimed the lives of some other notables. This suggestion of erysipelas is only conjectural, of course; there is no possibility of clinical diagnosis. The reason for supposing "rose" might be erysipelas (beyond the disease being called that) is that if there were red rash on the face, then indeed, as line 5 says, there would be no need of cosmetics to get redness of the cheeks (but the existing redness would not be a blush of health.) Further, in connection with the mention of "sin" in the Sonnet, a medically primitive population like that of Elizabethan England could mistake the erysipelas rash for symptoms of venereal disease. Poetically, within the Sonnet, "Rose" means "blossom." The line 8 clause, "his Rose is true," refers to the "blossom" of his life still being alive. |
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