Theme: Out of Sight: In my Mind
Content: Although the subject has been out of the author's sight (due to the author's absence), the subject has been uppermost in his mind - he sees the subject in everything he sees. Redolent of the words and material of 46 & 47.
Since I
left you mine eye
is in my
mind,
And that which governs
me to go
about
Doth part
his function and is partly
blind,
Seems seeing, but
effectually is out;
- "You've been out of my sight while I have been gone but you have been in my mind's eye."
- The doubling of words, letters and phrases replicates the same technique employed in 111 and other sonnets. Here we have mine...mind, governs...go, part...partly, Seems...seeing.
- The doubling technique is also used to join adjacent quatrains such as Q1 and Q2 being joined by doth with doth.
- The principal theme of the sonnet is obviously seeing which is reflected in words such as sight, eye and vision but principally by the word see which appears explicitly, embedded in other words and punned upon.
- There is also a preponderance of words that contain the letter c as another pun on the seeing: Since, which, function, effectually, which, latch, quick, objects, catch, creature, crow, Incapable.
- See appears in Seems as well as explicitly in seeing.
- Pun on eye in I.
For it no form
delivers to the heart
Of bird, of flower, or shape
which it doth
latch.
Of his quick objects hath the mind
no part,
Nor his own holds what it doth
catch;
- "I am blind to what my eyes would normally see."
- The blindness is reflected by no words alluding to the function of seeing.
- The doubling continues with For...form, mind...mind, doth...doth.
- Q2 is joined to Q3 by way of For...form with For...deformed'st and shape with shapes.
For if it see
the rud'st
or
gentlest sight,
The most sweet-favoured
or deformed'st creature,
The mountain
or the sea,
the
day
or night,
The crow
or dove, it shapes
them to your feature.
- "I see you in my mind in everything that my eyes see."
- The function of seeing now returns in Q3: explicitly in see, embedded in sweet and punningly in sea.
- This quatrain is not especially flattering of the subject as the author sees the subject in the rud'st and the deformed'st of sights as well as the gentlest and sweetest.
- The rud'st is succeeded by the gentlest, then the sweet-favoured is succeeded by the deformed'st, then the day is succeeded by [hideous] night, and finally the crow is succeeded by the dove. This bad/good/good/bad/good/bad/bad/good happily resolves from initial bad to final good.
- These metaphors also give the quatrain shape by starting with single- and 2-syllable words (rud'st and gentlest), extending to compound and 3-syllable words (sweet-favoured and deformed'st) then reducing via the 2-syllable creature and mountain to a rush of single-syllable words (sea, day, night, crow, dove).
- The 4 elements may be being deliberately represented by the author in this quatrain, demonstrating that the author sees the subject in everything in the world: Earth = mountain; Air = crow & dove (in that they fly through the air); Fire = day (by way of the light-giving sun); Water = sea.
Incapable of more,
replete with you,
My most
true mind
thus makes mine eye untrue.
- Doubling concludes with more...most, true...untrue, mind...mine.
- An almost palindromic final line with My...true mind being reflected by mine eye untrue.
- The comparative of more resolves to the superlative of most.
Critical text © NigelDavies.home@Virgin.net