Sonnet 1
Loving in trueth, and fayne my love in verse to show,That the deere Shee, might take some pleasure of my paine:Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,Knowledge might pittie winne, and pittie grace obtaine.I sought fit wordes to paint the blackest face of woe,Studying inventions fine, her wittes to entertaine,Oft turning others leaves, to see if thence would flowe,Some fresh and fruitfull showre, upon my Sunne-burnt braine.But wordes came halting out, wanting inventions stay,Invention Natures childe, fledde Stepdame studies blowes:And others feete, still seem’de but strangers in my way,Thus great with Childe to speake, and helplesse in my throwes,Byting my trewand penne, beating my selfe for spite:Foole saide my Muse to mee, looke in thy heart and write.
Words in this poem
- winne v. t.
- To gain by superiority in competition or contest; to obtain by victory over competitors or rivals; as, to win the prize in a gate; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country. [OE. winnen, AS. winnan to strive, labor, fight, endure; akin to OFries. winna, OS. winnan, D. winnen to win, gain, G. gewinnen, OHG. winnan to strive, struggle,]
- fruitfull a.
- Full of fruit; producing fruit abundantly; bearing results; prolific; fertile; liberal; bountiful; as, a fruitful tree, or season, or soil; a fruitful wife.
- showre n.
- One who shows or exhibits.
- childe n.
- A cognomen formerly prefixed to his name by the oldest son, until he succeeded to his ancestral titles, or was knighted; as, Childe Roland.
- penne v. t.
- To write; to compose and commit to paper; to indite; to compose; as, to pen a sonnet.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sonnet 1 is in the public domain. This text is taken from Sir P.S.: His Astrophel and Stella Wherein the excellence of sweete poesie is concluded, Project Gutenberg ebook #56375; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Philip Sidney, Sonnet 1, in Astrophel and Stella (1591), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #56375, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/sidney-astrophel/sonnet-1.html, id L04757.
Form and metre
Sonnet 1 is 14 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABABABCDCDEE. The metre is iambic hexameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 12.1 syllables.
See other poems in iambic hexameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABABABCDCDEE showA · paineB · knowA · obtaineB · woeA · entertaineB · floweA · braineB · stayC · blowesD · wayC · throwesD · spiteE · writeE
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic hexameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Loving in trueth, and fayne my love in verse to show, | 12 | /˘·········· |
| That the deere Shee, might take some pleasure of my paine: | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know, | 12 | /˘····/˘···· |
| Knowledge might pittie winne, and pittie grace obtaine. | 12 | /˘·········· |
| I sought fit wordes to paint the blackest face of woe, | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| Studying inventions fine, her wittes to entertaine, | 12 | /˘˘/˘······· |
| Oft turning others leaves, to see if thence would flowe, | 12 | ·/˘/˘······· |
| Some fresh and fruitfull showre, upon my Sunne-burnt braine. | 12 | ···/˘/······ |
| But wordes came halting out, wanting inventions stay, | 12 | ···/˘·/˘˘/˘· |
| Invention Natures childe, fledde Stepdame studies blowes: | 12 | ˘/˘/˘··/˘/˘· |
| And others feete, still seem’de but strangers in my way, | 12 | ·/˘····/˘··· |
| Thus great with Childe to speake, and helplesse in my throwes, | 12 | ············ |
| Byting my trewand penne, beating my selfe for spite: | 12 | ······/˘···· |
| Foole saide my Muse to mee, looke in thy heart and write. | 13 | ············· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.