SONNET 24 Mine eye hath played the painter and hath steeled,
Thy beauty's form in table of myheart;
My body is the frame wherein 'tis held,
And perspective that is best painter's art.
For through the painter must you see his skill,
To find where your true image pictured lies,
Which in my bosom's shop is hanging still,
That hath his windows glazed with thine eyes.
Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done:
Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me
Are windows to my breast, where-through the sun
Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee;
Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art,
They draw but what they see, know not the heart. This is regarded as one of the more tortuously worded of the sonnets, in which mental dexterity is matched by opacity of language. 'Pure Bosch', 'pure bosh', and 'high flown nonsense' are regarded as descriptive of it by GBE (Sonn. p.137, head note, and p.138 n.13-14). JK gives numerous interpretations of 4-6, which leave one's head reeling. KDJ does not seem to worry over it too much. Perhaps it is indeed more clear to some than to others. One should however notdiscount the possibility of misprints, and I suggest below one minor emendation for line 4. If we accept the notion that this is an example of 'looking babies' in each other's eyes, (KDJ p.158, head note) whereby each lover sees his/her own reflection when gazing soulfullyinto the lover's eye, then Thy beauty's form is the reflection that the youth sees in Shakespeare's eyes of himself inminiature, which Sh. imagines as transferred to his (Sh's) heart. Since the youth is lookinginto Sh's breast through his own eyes at his own image, it isas if he is peeping in through windows, the windows being his own eyes. The same processcould be repeated for Shakespeare's image in the lover's eyes.
However, bearing in mind the miscibility of hearts that has been depicted in the previous sonnet, it is not absolutely necessary to accept the above explanation. It may be simpler to adopt the view that the lover's eye transfers the image of the beloved that he sees directly into his own heart. This is evidently what happens in 46& 47 (see below).
By the end of sonnet 24, as I think also of 47, we are uncertain whose eye, breast or heart is where, but it does not matter greatly, for the lovers areone and inseparable, which is probably what the poet is tryingto show us.
Finally a note of unease is introduced, the first sign of doubt, the first glimpse of a darkening on the horizon. Perhaps the ideal is too perfect to be sustained for long, or perhaps the poet cannot bring himself to believe that all can beas wonderful as it appears, that brightness falls from the air, and all must die. Despite the two hearts which are as one, the closing couplet is a warningharbinger of less happy times to come.
47
Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took,
And each doth good turns now unto the other.
When that mine eye is famishedfor a look,
Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother,
With my love's picture then my eye doth feast,
And to the painted banquet bids my heart;
Another time mine eye is my heart's guest,
And in his thoughts of love dothshare a part:
So, either by thy picture or my love,
Thy self away, art present still with me;
For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move,
And I am still with them, and they with thee;
Or, if they sleep, thy picture in my sight
Awakes my heart, to heart's andeye's delight. My love took scorn my service toretain Wherein methought she usèd cruelty, Since with good will I lost my liberty To follow her which causeth allmy pain. Might never care cause me for to refrain, But only this which is extremity, Giving me nought, alas, nor to agree That as I was, her man I might remain. But since that thus ye list to order me, That would have been your servant true and fast, Displease thee not my doting days be past, And with my loss to leave I must agree. For as there is a certain time torage, So is there time such madness to assuage. My love toke skorne my servise to retaine Wherin methought she usid crueltie : Sins with good will I lost my libretye To followe her wich causith all my payne. Might never care cause me for to refrayne : But onlye this wich is extremytie : Gyving me nought, alas, nor to agre That as I was her man I might remayne. But sins that thus ye list to ordre me, That wolde have bene your servaunt true and faste, Displese the not, my doting dayes bee paste : And with my losse to leve I must agre. For as there is a certeyne tyme to rage. So is ther tyme suche madnes to aswage. NOTES My love etc. = my love scorned to retain my services.Might never care = anguish would never.refrain = question, examine; complain? (See OED refrayne).only this = only this action of yours, refusing me.That as I was etc. = that as I was her lover, I might be allowed to remain so.ye list = you desire.Displease thee not = let it not displease you that.And with my loss etc. = I must agree to losing you and leaving you.
