1 So is it not with me as with that muse,
It's not the case with me like with other poets, I'm not like other poets out there not like them
other poets 'Muse' = poet, as opposed to the literal muse (inspiration).
2 Stirred by a painted beauty to his verse,
Moved to write by a beautiful face, inspired by just looking at a pretty face face inspires
poems 'Painted' = artificially enhanced with cosmetics, or deceptively portrayed.
3 Who heaven it self for ornament doth use,
Who use heaven itself for decoration, who turn heaven itself into a decoration heaven's decor
in poems 'Ornament' = embellishment, rhetorical flourish.
4 And every fair with his fair doth rehearse,
And every beautiful thing with every other beautiful thing they compare, and compare every pretty thing to every other pretty thing compare pretty
things 'Rehearse' = repeat, enumerate; false poets accumulate comparisons.
5 Making a couplement of proud compare
Making a pair of proud comparisons making a bunch of showy comparisons show off
comparisons 'Couplement' = coupling, joining together; 'proud' = arrogant, grandiose.
6 With sun and moon, with earth and sea’s rich gems:
With sun and moon, with earth and the sea's rich jewels: with the sun and moon, with earth and all the riches in the sea sun moon
sea gems Cosmic hyperbole: the beloved compared to all major celestial and terrestrial beauty.
7 With April’s first-born flowers and all things rare,
Invoking springtime blossoms and all the world's rare treasures, bringing in fresh spring flowers and everything precious from around the world spring blooms
world's riches 'First-born flowers' = earliest blooms, symbol of renewal and fleeting beauty.
8 That heaven’s air in this huge rondure hems.
That heaven's sky circles in this huge round world. that heaven's air goes around in this whole wide world heaven circles
the world 'Rondure' = roundness, the round earth; 'hems' = surrounds, borders.
Volta The shift from cataloging the false methods of other poets to the speaker's commitment to truth: 'O let me true in love but truly write.' Truth and love become synonymous.
9 O let me true in love but truly write, The speaker's ethical commitment: truth in love requires truthful writing, not flattery.
Oh let me be true in love but write truly, let me just be real about my love and write it straight be true
write true 'True in love but truly write' = be faithful through honest speech, not flattery.
10 And then believe me, my love is as fair,
Then trust me when I tell you my love stands comparable, then believe me when I'm saying my affection matches up my love's
equal too
11 As any mother’s child, though not so bright
To any person alive, yet not brilliant and gleaming to any human who walks the earth, but not shimmering with starlight human love
not stellar 'Mother's child' = any human being, the humblest common reference.
12 As those gold candles fixed in heaven’s air:
As those golden stars fixed in heaven's sky: as those golden stars stuck up in the sky not like stars
up there 'Gold candles' = stars; the speaker refuses cosmic comparison deliberately.
13 Let them say more that like of hearsay well,
Let others say more who love talking, let other people say the big flowery stuff if they like it let them talk
more 'Like of hearsay' = prefer rumor, secondhand report; those who traffic in exaggeration.
14 I will not praise that purpose not to sell. The refusal of poetry as persuasion: true love doesn't manipulate through praise.
I won't praise in a way meant for selling. I won't make it showy just to impress people not selling
it 'Purpose not to sell' = refuse to use praise as commerce, manipulation.
Wordplay: “I will not praise that purpose not to sell”
- 'purpose' = intend, aim
- 'sell' = to persuade falsely, to trade truth for advantage
- the pun is on 'sell': commerce, and selling falsehood as truth