Theme: Young Man
Content: Encouragement for the subject to carry on his Truth and Beauty by having children, with a play on the author's ambiguous ability to foretell the future of Truth and Beauty in the subject's eyes.
Not from the stars
do
I my judgement
pluck,
And yet methinks
I have astronomy;
But not to tell of good or evil luck,
Of plagues,
of dearths,
or seasons' quality.
"I do not form my judgement like an astrologer (although I think I understand astronomy)." This is a p sonnet, playing on the ability to predict in a variety of significant p words. It is also an eye sonnet, emphasising the subject's eyes both explicity with "eye" and phonetically via "I", and perhaps in the pronunciation of words such as astronomY and qualitY. Another key reference in this sonnet is the central theme of stars and the ability to predict the future by them. Stars is explicitly repeated in the sonnet as well as in anagrams such as dearths and, of course, astronomy.
Nor can I
fortune to brief minutes tell,
Pointing to each
his thunder, rain, and wind,
Or say with princes
if it shall go well
By oft predict
that I in heaven
find;
- "Nor am I a fortune-teller."
- P emphasis continues.
But from thine eyes
my knowledge I
derive,
And, constant stars,
in them I read
such art
As truth and
beauty
shall
together thrive
If from thyself to store
thou
wouldst convert.
- "But I can read your stellar eyes, and see the future in them in which truth and beauty will thrive."
- After 2 quatrains of addressing himself, the author now addresses the subject.
- The subject is associated with both truth and beauty showing that he is both a handsome and honest man.
- Emphasis on stars continues explicitly, phonetically and anagrammatically: constant, stars, art, store and wouldst.
Or else of thee this I
prognosticate:
Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date.
- "If you die without bearing children then that will be the death of truth and beauty."
- P emphasis concludes with a prognostication.
- Doubt in the author's ability to predict the future of Truth and Beauty in the subject's eyes is now conceded, confirming that he only thinks he has astronomy.
- The star influence fades out in a faint trace in prognosticate.
Critical text © NigelDavies.home@Virgin.net