830 mot motto
835 bereft stolen
836 drone-like the male honeybee is a nonworker whose function is to impregnate the queen bee
837 perfection i.e. honey
838 injurious damaging
841 wrack wreck, overthrow
842 entertain him receive him as a guest (Lucrece unwittingly plays on sense of “have sex with him”)
843 put him back refuse to receive him
844 disdain treat with contempt
848 worm cankerworm, a parasitic grub that destroys plants (here symbolic of the penis)
849 cuckoos birds that lay their eggs in other birds’ nests
850 founts fountains
venom toads were thought to be poisonous
851 folly lust
gentle noble/benign
852 behests vows/commands
855 coffers up hoards in a chest
858 still-pining constantly tormented/always yearning/forever starving
Tantalus in Greek mythology, a king who stole from the gods and was condemned to stand in a pool below a fruit tree that remained just out of his reach
859 barns puts in a barn
864 presently immediately
874 ill-annexèd Opportunity circumstances (opportunity) that lend themselves to evil
875 Or … or either … or
quality special character/excellence
877 execut’st carries out
878 sets places
879 point’st decides, appoints
season time, occasion
880 spurn’st aims a kick at, rejects
881 cell small dwelling
883 vestal virgin
884 temperance moderation, self-restraint
885 honesty integrity/ chastity
troth loyalty, honesty, good faith
887 laud praise
889 gall bitterness/poison
892 smoothing flattering
ragged name damaged or worthless reputation
893 wormwood a plant known for its bitter taste
894 vanities empty, worthless delights
897 suppliant’s petitioner’s
899 sort choose
901 physic medicine
902 halt limp
905 pines starves
907 Advice medical counsel
sporting at play
910 as their pages like their personal servants
912 crosses obstacles
914 gratis freely
apaid rewarded
916 else otherwise
917 stayed prevented
919 subornation inducing a person to commit an evil action
920 shift trickery, subterfuge
922 inclination nature, disposition
924 general doom the end of the world, Judgment Day
925 copesmate partner, accomplice/sexual partner
926 post messenger
carrier bearer, messenger
928 watch of woes watchman who brings bad news
packhorse horse used to carry heavy burdens
931 since of since you are guilty of
935 date period, duration
936 office duty
fine finish/penalize, punish
937 opinion report, rumor
939 contending fighting, antagonistic
942 sentinel stand guard over
944 ruinate bring to ruin
949 quills large feathers
950 springs new growth, shoots
952 Fortune’s wheel the Roman goddess Fortuna was conventionally depicted turning a wheel, which raised men up before casting them down
953 beldame grandmother/old woman
954 man a child old and weak, as in second childhood/allow the man to father a child
957 the subtle crafty people
in themselves beguiled self-deluded/foiled by their own guile
958 increaseful productive, fruitful
959 waste erode, destroy
960 mischief wickedness
962 retiring returning
964 Lending … lends i.e. giving a poor decision-maker the wisdom of hindsight
967 ceaseless lackey constant servant (specifically, a footman who ran beside his master’s carriage; lackey has connotations of obsequiousness)
968 cross thwart, obstruct
971 ghastly frightening/ghostly
lewd wicked, unprincipled
974 trances states between sleep and waking/states of extreme dread
976 bechance befall
985 orts scraps, leftovers
986 one … live i.e. a beggar, dependent on charity
987 Disdain … give disdain to give him even the scraps from his own meal of leftovers
disdainèd already scorned, despised
989 to … resort gather to mock him
992 sport entertainment/pleasure/sex
993 unrecalling irrevocable, that cannot be called back
994 th’abusing the misuse
996 that to whom
1001 sland’rous deathsman reviled executioner
1002 coming descending
1003 hope future prospects
1005 begets him hate generates hatred of him
1006 waits on accompanies/lies in wait for
state status, high rank
1007 presently immediately
1009 mire mud
1011 like same thing
1013 grooms manservants
1016 Out expression of dismissal
idle worthless
1017 arbitrator impartial person who decides the outcome of a dispute
1018 skill-contending schools competitive formal debates were a feature of life in schools and universities
1021 force … straw attach no significance to argument (straws were proverbially worthless)
1022 case plays on sense of “vagina”
1023 rail verbally abuse, rant
1025 cavil dispute, find fault
1026 spurn kick out at
confirmed despite established shame
1029 let … blood bloodletting was a standard medical practice; Lucrece, however, has suicide in mind
1037 betumbled couch disordered, unmade bed/bed on which sex (“tumbling”) had occurred
1039 imparteth provides
1041 thronging forcing its way
1042 Aetna Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily
consumes vanishes
1043 fumes smokes
1045 hapless unfortunate, luckless
1046 falchion curved sword
1050 true type honest name/authentic character
1053 spot moral blemish
1054 badge … livery i.e. Lucrece’s shame will be partly moderated by the fact that her death is honorable
livery servant’s uniform on which a heraldic badge indicated which noble household the servant belonged to
1061 flatter lie to
infringèd broken, violated
1062 graff new shoot grafted to mature plant or tree (Lucrece anticipates being pregnant)
1063 stock tree trunk/family
1067 int’rest legal title to property (i.e. right to Lucrece)
1070 with … dispense will never excuse my sin
1072 attaint infection, stain of dishonor
1073 cleanly coined cleverly forged
1074 sable ground black background (of a heraldic shield)
1075 night’s puns on “knight’s”
1077 dale valley
1079 this this time, now
Philomel raped by Tereus, Philomel had her tongue cut out to prevent her naming him as the perpetrator; she revealed his identity by weaving an account of what had happened and was turned into a nightingale by the gods (Ovid tells the tale in Metamorphoses)
1084 cloudy sorrowful, darkened by misfortune
1089 pry’st thou do you peer, spy
1092 do do with
1094 fond foolish/mad, dazed
testy irritable/aggressive, rash
1095 wayward willful, obsti
nate
1096 mild mildly, with patience
1097 Continuance continuity, habit
1100 deep-drenchèd deeply immersed/drowning
1103 No … renews everything she sees renews her grief
1104 straight straightaway
1109 mirth … annoy happiness probes the depths of injury (as if it were a doctor probing a wound)
1112 feelingly sufficed emotionally satisfied
1113 with … sympathized i.e. it meets with a corresponding emotion
1114 ken sight
1115 pines starves
1116 salve healing ointment
1117 that that which
1119 bounding forming a boundary
1120 dallied trifled with/delayed
nor law nor neither law nor
1124 restless uneasy, troubled/without musical pauses
stops nor rests hindrances or intervals (plays on the musical senses: a “stop” is “the closing of a finger hole in a wind instrument” and a “rest” is “an interval of silence during music”)
1125 brooks tolerates
1126 Relish sing, warble/make pleasant
pleasing ears i.e. listeners who are pleased
1127 dumps mournful songs
1129 dishevelled a conventional indicator of distress and here reminiscent of the recent rape
1130 languishment grief, suffering
1131 strain will strain melody will squeeze out
1132 diapason bass accompaniment below the melody
1133 burden-wise like a bass accompaniment (burden plays on sense of “heavy load”)
1134 Tereus brother-in-law of Philomel who raped her and cut out her tongue
descants sing the melodious accompaniment above the melody
better skill with better skill than I
1135 against … waking in order to stay awake and sing of her sorrows all night, the nightingale supposedly rested her breast upon a sharp thorn
1139 wink shut
1140 frets ridges on stringed instruments to regulate fingering (plays on sense of “torments”)
1142 for because
1143 As shaming as if ashamed that
1144 desert deserted place, wild, uninhabited region
seated … way situated away from road or path
1147 stern cruel, merciless
kinds natures
1149 at gaze bewildered
1151 encompassed surrounded
1155 death reproach’s debtor suicide will incur reproach
1157 But … pollution to add the pollution of my soul (through suicide) to the pollution of my raped body
1159 confusion ruin, destruction
1160 tries tests
1164 the … divine the purity of my body made my soul divine/my body was pure, my soul divine
1165 Whose … nearer which did I love more
1170 sacked plundered, ravaged
1173 Grossly engirt flagrantly surrounded
1175 blemished fort damaged stronghold, i.e. her body
1182 spent shed/paid out (as a legacy)
1183 testament last will and testament
1186 deprive take away
1188 fame honor
1191 dear jewel chastity
1193 resolution determination, unwavering purpose
1195 used treated
1199 to i.e. I bequeath respectively to
1202 confound overthrow, destroy
1203 disbursèd paid out, given away
1205 oversee be legal executor of
1206 overseen deceived
1213 brinish pearl i.e. salty tear
1214 untuned harsh-sounding, discordant
1215 hies hastens
1216 thought’s feathers i.e. as swiftly as thought
1218 meads meadows
1221 sorts adapts, suits
1222 For why because
1223 audaciously impudently, presumptuously
1228 gan began to
1229 circled eyne rounded eyes
enforced compelled
1234 Like … cisterns the women resemble fountains in which ivory spouts fill a central reservoir (i.e. their eyes, red from weeping)
1235 justly with reason
1236 company fellowship, sympathy
1238 to … smarts merely at guessing the cause of another’s pain
1241 will wishes
1242 strange kinds other natures
1243 skill cunning
1246 semblance image, appearance
1247 champaign open, level
1248 Lays open reveals
1250 Cave-keeping i.e. that remain hidden
obscurely in darkness, concealed
1251 mote speck/ blemish
1254 inveigh against reproach, denounce
1255 chide scold
1257 hild held
1260 tenants to their inhabitants, sharers in men’s
1261 precedent example, pattern
1262 Assailed attacked (sexually)
strong … death strongly suggesting her imminent death
1264 By that on account of
1266 dying fear paralyzing fear/fear of death
1269 counterfeit imitation, i.e. the maid
1272 of my sustaining sustained by me
1273 small avails little helps
1275 stayed paused
1278 sluggard lazy, sluggish
1279 dispense excuse
1283 heaviness (cause of) sorrow
1298 Conceit thought/mode of expression
1299 wit thought, intellect
blotted straight immediately crossed out
will emotion
1300 curious good overelaborate
blunt and ill crude and badly phrased
1302 inventions ideas, attempts to write
which … before competing over who shall go first
1305 vouchsafe t’afford graciously consent to grant
1308 commend me entrust myself to you (conventional form of greeting)
1309 tedious long and troublesome
1310 tenor general drift/legal transcript
1312 schedule note, outline
1314 thereof make discovery reveal it fully
1316 Ere … excuse i.e. before she had a chance to excuse her shame through suicide
1317 passion suffering
1323 action accompanying oratorical gestures
become suit, adorn
1326 heavy motion serious emotion/sad action (motion plays on sense of “entertainment, puppet show”)
1327 part … bear body part bears a portion of woe (a part plays on sense of “a theatrical role”)
1329 sounds straits/inlets/noises
1330 being … words i.e. diminishes through verbal expression
1333 post messenger
1334 Charging ordering
1335 lagging loitering, tardy
1336 Speed … deems the greatest speed nevertheless seems dull and slow to her
1338 homely villain simple lowborn fellow
curtsies bows
1340 or yea either a yes
1345 silly simple
wot knows
defect absence, deficiency
1350 pattern … age example from bygone times
1351 Pawned pledged
to gage as a guarantee
1352 His kindled his blushing
1355 wistly intently
1356 amazed confused/alarmed
1359 long she thinks it seems to her a long time
1361 entertain occupy, fill up
1362 stale wearisome
1364 plaints lamentations
stay pause
1367 Priam’s Troy Priam was the King of Troy, and the painting depicts a scene from the Trojan war in which the Greek army is besieging the city; the cause of the war was Paris’ abduction of Helen, the wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta
1368 drawn assembled/depicted
power army
1369 rape abduction/sexual violation
1370 Ilion Troy,
renowned for its tall towers
annoy trouble, damage
proud arrogant/splendid/high
1374 scorn contempt, defiance
lifeless life apparent life to inanimate things
1377 reeked smoked
strife effort/contest with nature/engagement in the battle scene
1380 pioneer footsoldier who dug trenches and cleared the terrain
1383 loopholes narrow vertical openings in walls from which arrows were fired
1384 lust friendly inclination
1385 sweet observance delightful attention to detail, pleasing care
1389 quick lively/vivid, lifelike
1390 interlaces mingles, inserts
1394 Ajax and Ulysses two of the Greek generals; Ajax was known for his strength and Ulysses for his ingenuity and cunning
1395 physiognomy the facial features as indicators of character
1396 ciphered expressed, delineated
either’s his own
1398 blunt dull, insensitive
rigour harshness
1399 sly skillful/crafty
1400 regard observant attention
government leadership/self-control
1401 pleading i.e. being a persuasive orator
grave dignified
Nestor Greek elder statesman renowned for wisdom
1403 action oratorical gesture
1404 beguiled diverted, charmed
1407 purled curled (puns on “pearled,” suggesting a luminous appearance)
1410 several graces distinct postures/different features
1412 nice subtle/skillful/precise
1414 mock the mind deceive the mind of the viewer
1417 thronged crowded
bears presses, turns
boll’n swollen, puffed up
1418 pelt express anger/hurl abuse
1420 but … of were it not for fear of missing
1423 Conceit deceitful skillful artifice
compact well-composed
kind natural, lifelike
1424 for … spear Achilles, the foremost Greek warrior, is represented by his famous spear
1430 Hector eldest son of Priam and Hecuba, foremost of the Trojan warriors
1433 such … yield display such unusual gestures
odd unusual/at odds (with joy)
1436 strand of Dardan Trojan shore
1437 Simois river just outside Troy
1439 ridges crests
1440 gallèd war torn/eroded
then the rhyme is stronger with the original spelling, “than”
1444 stelled delineated, portrayed
1445 some to a certain extent
1446 dolour sorrow
1447 Hecuba wife of Priam, who was killed by Achilles’ son Pyrrhus
1450 anatomized minutely analyzed, dissected
1452 chaps deep lines, cracks
1453 was had been
1454 blue i.e. noble
black perhaps also suggestive of melancholy, supposedly caused by an excess of black bile
The Sonnets and Other Poems Page 29