1 Or whether doth my mind being crowned with you
Or whether my mind, made a king by obsession with you, Or maybe my mind, crowned and entranced by you, or is my brain just drunk on u
2 Drink up the monarch’s plague this flattery?
Drinks up the monarch's plague of this flattery? is drinking up this flattery like a diseased king consumes poison? eating up the sweet lies u feed me
3 Or whether shall I say mine eye saith true,
Or whether shall I say my eye says true, Or should I say my eye is actually showing me the truth, or maybe my eye's not lying
4 And that your love taught it this alchemy?
And your love has transformed my eye into this enchantment? and that your love has taught it this magic trick? ur love turned it into magic
5 To make of monsters, and things indigest,
To make of monsters and things formless, To transform monsters and shapeless things making ugly stuff look pretty
6 Such cherubins as your sweet self resemble,
Into cherubs as your sweet self resembles, into angel faces that resemble your sweetness, like u r an angel
7 Creating every bad a perfect best
Creating every flaw as a perfect best transforming every fault into something perfect makes bad things look perfect
8 As fast as objects to his beams assemble:
As quickly as objects assemble to his rays: as fast as objects gather in the light of his gaze. instant transformation bro
Volta The volta admits 'tis flattery' and shifts focus from doubt to complicity: the mind actively participates in and enjoys the poisoned flattery.
9 O ’tis the first, ’tis flattery in my seeing, 'Tis flattery in my seeing
Oh, it is the first thing—it is flattery in my seeing, Oh, that's what it is: this is pure flattery happening in how I see, ok it's just me being blinded by love
10 And my great mind most kingly drinks it up,
And my powerful mind, acting like a monarch, consumes all of it, and my mind, acting like a king, drinks it all down, and im totally ok with it Wordplay: “great mind most kingly drinks it up”
Kingly suggests both nobility and monarchical excess; drinks suggests both willing consumption and alcoholic intoxication.
11 Mine eye well knows what with his gust is ’greeing,
My eye well knows what with his taste is agreeing, My eye knows exactly what flavor my mind is savoring, my eye knows what my brain likes
12 And to his palate doth prepare the cup.
And to his palate does prepare the cup. and prepares each sight as a perfect taste for my mind. serving it up just how i like it
13 If it be poisoned, ’tis the lesser sin,
If it is poisoned, it is the lesser sin, Even if this vision is poisoned, it's almost no sin at all, even if it's poison im cool w it
14 That mine eye loves it and doth first begin.
That my eye loves it and begins it first. because my eye loves it and my mind just follows along. my eye started it anyway