December 20, 2020

Shakespeare Sonnet 1

From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
   Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
   To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

"As the opening sonnet of the sequence, this one obviously has especial importance. It appears to look both before and after, into the future and the past. It sets the tone for the following group of so called 'procreation' sonnets 1-17. In addition, many of the compelling ideas of the later sonnets are first sketched out here - the youth's beauty, his vulnerability in the face of time's cruel processes, his potential for harm, to the world, and to himself, (perhaps also to his lovers), nature's beauty, which is dull in comparison to his, the threat of disease and cankers, the folly of being miserly, the need to see the world in a larger sense than through one's own restricted vision.

'Fair youth, be not churlish, be not self-centred, but go forth and fill the world with images of yourself, with heirs to replace you. Because of your beauty you owe the world a recompense, which now you are devouring as if you were an enemy to yourself. Take pity on the world, and do not, in utter selfish miserliness, allow yourself to become a perverted and self destructive object who eats up his own posterity'.

See also the further commentary on Sonnet 1

The 1609 Quarto Version

FRom faireſt creatures we deſire increaſe,
That thereby beauties Roſe might neuer die,
But as the riper ſhould by time deceaſe,
His tender heire might beare his memory:
But thou contracted to thine owne bright eyes,
Feed'ſt thy lights flame with ſelfe ſubſtantiall fewell,
Making a famine where aboundance lies,
Thy ſelfe thy foe,to thy ſweet ſelfe too cruell:
Thou that art now the worlds freſh ornament,
And only herauld to the gaudy ſpring,
Within thine owne bud burieſt thy content,
And tender chorle makſt waſt in niggarding:
   Pitty the world,or elſe this glutton be,
   To eate the worlds due,by the graue and thee.

Commentary

1. From fairest creatures we desire increase,

fairest creatures = all living things that are beautiful.
increase = procreation, offspring. A reference also to the increase of the harvest, by which one seed of corn becomes many. There is a general presumption in husbandry that the best stock must always be used in breeding, otherwise there is an overall decline and failure in productivity. The fairest creatures are therefore the fairest cattle, the best plants, the most excellent poultry, and so on. Whatever in fact is as good as, or an improvement on the previous generation. Basically this is a farming or agricultarist metaphor. In his later years Shakespeare seems to have been interested in the nature/nurture discussion. There is the famous passage in Winter's Tale, which is probably relevant here, in which Polixenes instructs Perdita on the science of breeding flowers. WT.IV.4.79-103. (See the end of this page).

2. That thereby beauty's rose might never die,

thereby = in that way, by that means.
beauty's rose The rose was symbolic of all things beautiful. By reproducing itself it could, in a sense, become immortal.

3. But as the riper should by time decease,

riper = older, more mature, (person, plant, thing) more ready for harvesting.
by time decease = die in the course of time.

4. His tender heir might bear his memory:

tender = young, delicate, soft. (Often applied to young animals).
bear his memory - as an imprint taken from a seal; also with the sense of 'bearing a child', so that the heir carries on the memory of parents through the generations.

5. But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,

contracted = being contracted to, under obligation to (in a legal sense). It also conveys the sense of compressed, curtailed, restricted. Cf. Ham.I.ii.3-4.
...and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe,
However it is difficult to see exactly what contracted to thine own bright eyes means, although the glossarists cite the example of Narcissus from classical literature, who died having fallen in love with his own beauteous reflection in water. The general sense seems to be that of one who is perpetually pre-occupied with his own concerns, looking upon himself, and being under contract to pursue his own interests. See further discussions Sonnet 1

6. Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,

Feed'st thy light's flame = provides sustenance for the flame that gives light. Candles, tapers and oil lamps were the only source of light in Shakespeare's day.
self-substantial fuel = fuel from its own body. Although the general sense of this line seems to be that of a fire or lamp burning up fuel, there are difficulties of interpretation. After all, how is a candle meant to feed itself, other than with itself? The suggestion is that the fuel should be renewable. It implies a criticism of the youth, who is intent on devouring himself and his future hope. See further discussions Sonnet 1

7. Making a famine where abundance lies,

famine - emptiness, starvation, lack of provision for posterity.
abundance - presumably a reference to the youth's rich qualities, in contrast to the famine which he threatens to create. Famines and glut were part of the usual cycle of life in the Elizabethan world. A poor harvest could mean starvation for many, as the storage facilities which we take for granted were unknown in those times.

8. Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:

Thy self thy foe = being an enemy to yourself.
to thy sweet self too cruel - by refusing to procreate, hence denying a future to yourself. 'You are being cruel to yourself in seeking your own extinction'.

9. Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,

the world's fresh ornament = a fresh and youthful glory to the world.

10. And only herald to the gaudy spring,

only = most important, chief, unique.
herald = one who announces, a messenger. Shakespeare elsewhere calls the lark the herald of the morn, and the owl the herald of night.
It was the lark, the herald of the morn,
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east: RJ.III.5.6-8.

gaudy = bright, colourful (not necessarily vulgar).

11. Within thine own bud buriest thy content,

content = substance. Also, probably, pleasure. GBE suggests that content also = semen, and probably there is here a secondary meaning of masturbation, self-pleasure, as opposed to the pleasure of procreation. SB mentions that Shakespeare exploits the possibility that rosebuds were phallic in appearance. (p.324. note to 12-13). Content(s) even today has the double meaning of a) happiness, pleasure, and b) that which is contained in something.

12. And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:

tender churl - probably a phrase indicating affection, rather than criticism, rather like 'silly fool', or 'yer daft idiot'. The context makes all the difference to such forms, which spoken angrily can be insulting, spoken tenderly are terms of endearment. churl countryman, rustic;
mak'st waste = creates waste; lays waste, makes a desert; spills semen.
niggarding = being miserly, stingy.

13. Pity the world, or else this glutton be,

this glutton = a glutton like this, i.e, such as I am about to describe, one who eats his own share as well as the world's.

14. To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

by the grave and thee. Presumably, a duty owed to the world because the grave is all devouring, and therefore to be fought; and a duty owed also to yourself, because it is in the nature of things that beauty should procreate, otherwise 'three score years will bear the world away', and so on. You purpose to be such a glutton as to consume both what the world and you yourself should have as a right. The construction is not noticeably opaque until one starts to analyse it."

http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/1

I came across this sonett while reading the phrase "But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,

Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,"    

in a book I'm reading Life After Life. At first glance the sonnet in iambic pentameter is puzzling. Shakespeare is talking about narcissism, self pleasure, wasting your seed, animal and plant husbandry, and a world view for a better world through procreation. Puzzling though to get the allusions and somewhat hidden meanings is useful to me because the prize is enlightenment into another man's thoughts. 

After my tumble down the steep trail from Pyramid Rock in Hawaii Kai on Monday knocking the wind out of me and bruising my right upper side ribs (no fracture on x ray)  we made our way slowly off trail at dusk then in the dark using our iphones to see the way finally to the outlet trail after 1/2 hour of feeling lost but knowing we're close to Hahaione Street. Arriving home tired and hurting, a nice shower, banadages to knees due to scrapping them on the pyramid rock climb up with rope assists, some chicken tortilla soup thanks to Costco and Rebecca and then getting comfortable on my left side in bed, I've been hobbling around better each day. I thank David and Richard my hiking mates for their moral support. David followed his GPS so we finally found our way out.

So Sarah my daughter and David my son called to check in on how I'm doing. Sarah and I talked some about Drew her son who has been somewhat shy if not aloof from interactions and communications which causes her concern. Communication in words is sparse in his replies.He is isolated due to Covid but remains seemingly satisfied to play his games, play with the cats in the house, and watch tv. He's like a Shakespeare sonnet to her but there is not information sources to help decipher an inner reality and understanding of his nature. I do recall how Ann and I sometimes puzzled and waited to see what our children would become since direct access to their inner lives was hidden from us. Part of the nature of individuation and growth of our human species requires this separation. Some family systems are more open to diversity of opinions, lifestyles differences of its members such sexual orientation, and freedom versus restrictions in discourse with the wider world. I appreciate reading the online newspaper articles written by those who have had a harder time living in their family system or in their culture finding a way out into a world less restrictive and dangerous for them. 

       https://www.huffpost.com/entry/black-american-solo-travel_n_5fb8666dc5b6cf1e0f082fb4

So within a family or culture system denying discrimination, domination, and severe restrictions to talking with fellow friends on the trail or at  home for a Thanksgiving meal about our countries troubles there is frustration if I pursue a different opinion about their beliefs. I've discovered that they only value information sources that perpetuate conspiratorial plots against their protagonist and they devalue opposing views claiming misinformation on my part. 

Well, I'm on the mend from my adventure. Nevertheless, I am concerned about some friends who have health issues such as undiagnosed pulmonary coughing symptoms and diagnosed aortic valve stenosis. Good medical care and continued searching for best practices methods to diagnose and treat are being pursued. Keeping in touch and supporting each other means all the difference. 

So from procreation, recreations, seriously compromised communication, to health issues we travel this world. My attempts to bridge some of the communication gaps will lead me to analyze and study but changing another opinion Oh well "Good Luck Leonard!".     

https://www.flickr.com/gp/leonardsjacobs/4hjX9U