Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The part about the eye and the heart

Darkest week of the semester  L  Sonnet 46:
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XLVI

  Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war,
  How to divide the conquest of thy sight;
  Mine eye my heart thy picture's sight would bar,
  My heart mine eye the freedom of that right.
  My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie,--
  A closet never pierc'd with crystal eyes--
  But the defendant doth that plea deny,
  And says in him thy fair appearance lies.
  To side this title is impannelled
  A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart;
  And by their verdict is determined
  The clear eye's moiety, and the dear heart's part:
    As thus; mine eye's due is thy outward part,
    And my heart's right, thy inward love of heart.
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The volta’s the thus in the penultimate line.  The matter between the eye and the heart is to be continued in the next sonnet (tomorrow)—

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