每日一首Sonnet (48)

XLVIII

1. How careful was I when I took my way,
2. Each trifle under truest bars to thrust,
3. That to my use it might unused stay
4. From hands of falsehood, in sure wards of trust!
5. But thou, to whom my jewels trifles are,
6. Most worthy comfort, now my greatest grief,
7. Thou best of dearest, and mine only care,
8. Art left the prey of every vulgar thief.
9. Thee have I not lock'd up in any chest,
10. Save where thou art not, though I feel thou art,
11. Within the gentle closure of my breast,
12. From whence at pleasure thou mayst come and part;
13. And even thence thou wilt be stol'n I fear,
14., For truth proves thievish for a prize so dear.

Commentary:
The poet now beginsto agonise once more over thevulnerability of himself and the youth. While he is away, every passerbymight be tempted by the youth’s beauty to steal him away from thepoet’sheart. Though he has taken great care to protect his possessions, hecannotdo the same for the one possession that is dearer to him than all other- the youth whom he loves.
The youth’s beauty issufficient to tempteven the saintliest person to theft. The sense of helplessness grows asthe poem proceeds, and it is augmented by the following sonnets: 49,whichdeals with the ultimate loss of love; 50 and 51, which describe anecessaryjourney away from the beloved, and the agonies which ensue.


Note:
1. When I took my way =when I started on myjourney, when I set off.

2.Each trifle = each trifling object.
Undertruest bars =behind secure bars, safely locked away. Truein the sense of reliable, trustworthy.

3.That to my use = So that it (they) mightbe available to me for future use.
it might unused stay - i.e. not taken and usedby others;
stay/From hands etc.- remain far away from

4.hands of falsehood - thieving hands,untrustworthypersons; sure wards of trust = secure storageplaces. wardsis suggestive not only of guardianship and prisons, but also the wardsofa lock, the gates which allow only the correct key to be inserted.

5. to whom= in comparison with whom. Jewelwas often used by Shakespeare as a term of endearmentfor a lover (ora potential lover), as in MW.III.3.36-7.
Have Icaught thee, my heavenly jewel? Why nowlet me die, for I have lived long enough

6.Most worthy comfort - two probable meanings:you who are my greatest and most valuable source of joy and pleasure;youwho are most deserving of comfort and joy.
now my greatest grief - mygreatest source of grief (becauseof the danger you are in of being stolen from me).

7.Thou best of dearest = You, who are thebest of all things that are dear to me. See also 39:When thou art all the better part of me andthenote thereon.
care= source of concern or grief. From Latin carus =dear, precious.Note also the echo of careful in line 1.

8.You are abandoned as a potential target for everycommon thief. Vulgar was usually associated withthe mob and thelower classes. See Sonn38,line 4 and the note.

9.I have not locked you up in any chest. chest= box or coffer for storage of valuables; or breast, bosom, heart.

10.Save = except.
where thou art not = where you are notphysically present.

11. closure= enclosure. The word suggestsan enfolding within one’s arms. Shakespeare uses it four times, thesame phrase being employed in VA 781-2
Lest thedeceiving harmony should run
Into the quiet closure of my breast;

12.From whence - from which part (my breast);
at pleasure thou mayst come and part = you maycome and go as itpleases you. part = depart.

13.even thence = even from there, from thatsafe place.

14.truth - truth itself; those who areessentiallytruthful and honest; proves = turns out to be, isfound to be;
dear = valuable, desirable, cherished.