1 My love is as a fever longing still, central metaphor: love as fever
My love is like a fever that continues to crave My love is a fever that never stops wanting love is a fever always wanting
2 For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Craving for what prolongs the illness Always craving what keeps the sickness going craving what feeds the disease
3 Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,
Consuming what sustains the illness Eating what keeps the sickness alive eating what keeps it sick
4 Th’ uncertain sickly appetite to please:
To satisfy an uncertain, sickly craving To satisfy this strange, feverish hunger to please sick hunger
5 My reason the physician to my love,
My reason is the doctor attending my love Reason is the physician trying to cure my love reason doctors my love
6 Angry that his prescriptions are not kept
Angry that his prescribed treatment is not being followed Angry that I won't take the medicine angry i ignore the cure
7 Hath left me, and I desperate now approve,
Has abandoned me, and I now desperately approve Has given up on me, and I've given up too left me now i accept it
8 Desire is death, which physic did except.
Desire is death, which the medicine forbade Desire is death, the one thing medicine said no to desire is death forbidden
Volta The volta shifts from medical metaphor to madness: reason abandons him, and he is left 'frantic-mad' without restraint or truth.
9 Past cure I am, now reason is past care,
I am beyond healing, now reason has stopped caring I'm beyond saving, and reason has given up past cure reason gave up
10 And frantic-mad with evermore unrest,
And maddened with endless agitation Gone crazy with constant turmoil crazy with endless unrest
11 My thoughts and my discourse as mad men’s are,
My thoughts and speech are like a madman's My thoughts and words are all over the place like a madman's my thoughts like a madman
12 At random from the truth vainly expressed.
Spoken randomly, far from truth, expressed uselessly Random, nowhere near the truth, pointless random not true pointless
13 For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
I have sworn you are beautiful and believed you were brilliant I've insisted you're beautiful and believed you were radiant swore u beautiful & bright
14 Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.
Yet you are as dark as hell, as dark as night But you're actually as dark as hell and night combined but ur black as hell & night