Sonnet 147
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< | Sonnet 147 | > |
My love is as a fever, longing still |
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–William Shakespeare |
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[edit] Synopsis
The poet describes his love for the addressee of the sonnet as a 'fever'.
His reason and lust have been at war, but lust has ignored all advice and now all is lost.
The poet is becoming mad with passion for a lady whom he knows is no good for him.
He had convinced himself the one he loved was good when the opposite was true.
[edit] Interpretive notes
A line by line interpretation into simplified, modern English:
1 My love for you is similar to a fever, which still wants
2 the thing which causes the fever.
3 I have the thing that causes the fever
4 all to please my unhealthy and sick appetite for it.
5 My reason (my soul?), the thing that heals my love
6 is angry that his advice is not followed
7 and has left me. I'm now desperate as I realise
8 that this (sexual?) desire I have will lead to my death, which my reason knew
9 Now that my reason has deserted me and no longer cares, I'm past cure
10 And I am frantically mad more and more
11 My thoughts and my words are like what a madman would do
12 they have nothing to do with reality and are expressed pointlessly
13 [This is because] I had convinced myself that you were fair and bright
14 when you are actually dark [visually] and as black as night [morally].