Sonnet 22
In highest way of heaven the Sunne did ride,Progressing then from fayre Twynns golden place,Having no maske of Clowdes before his face,But shining forth of heat in his chiefe pride,When some faire Ladies by hard promise tyde,On horsebacke met him in his furious race,Yet each prepar’de with Fannes well shading grace,From that foes wounds their tender skinnes to hide.Stella alone, with face unarmed marcht,Either to doe like him, which open shone:Or carelesse of the welth, because her owne.Yet were the hid and meaner beauties parcht,Her dainties bare went free; the cause was this,The Sunne which others burnt, did her but kisse.
Words in this poem
- unarmed a.
- Not armed or armored; having no arms or weapons. [Pref. un- not + armed.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sonnet 22 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 22, in Astrophel and Stella (1591), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #56375, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/sidney-astrophel/sonnet-22.html, id L04778.
Form and metre
Sonnet 22 is 14 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ABBAABBAC--CDD rideA · placeB · faceB · prideA · tydeA · raceB · graceB · hideA · marchtC · shone · owne · parchtC · thisD · kisseD
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| In highest way of heaven the Sunne did ride, | 10 | ·/˘··/···· |
| Progressing then from fayre Twynns golden place, | 10 | ˘/˘····/˘· |
| Having no maske of Clowdes before his face, | 10 | /˘········ |
| But shining forth of heat in his chiefe pride, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| When some faire Ladies by hard promise tyde, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| On horsebacke met him in his furious race, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| Yet each prepar’de with Fannes well shading grace, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| From that foes wounds their tender skinnes to hide. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Stella alone, with face unarmed marcht, | 10 | /˘˘/··˘/˘· |
| Either to doe like him, which open shone: | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| Or carelesse of the welth, because her owne. | 11 | ··········· |
| Yet were the hid and meaner beauties parcht, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Her dainties bare went free; the cause was this, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The Sunne which others burnt, did her but kisse. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
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.