POETRY:

➢ SONNET NO. 1 FROM: -

ASTROPHEL STELLA
-Sir Philip Sidney

• Total – 108 Sonnet.

• Dedicated to Penelope Devereux/Penelope Rich.

▪ Philas Astrom
Lover Star

▪ Stella – Star

• Lover and star.

• Earth and sky.
• Love from distance.
• Unfulfilled love.

1) Plato said in his ‘The Republic’ – “Poet (Artists) are liars. They imitate nature.”

Poet’s eye only copies from a copy.

Poetry or Art twice removed from reality.

2) Stephen Gosson again raised Plato’s question.

This poem gives its answer.

I. Loving in truth, and fain in

Verse my love to show,

Ans. Loving in truth – Truly loving some (Stella)

Fain – Willing
➢ I want to show my love through my verse.
II. I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe;
Ans. Sought – Study, not creative thinking.
Painter – Poet.
Black – Sad (Words).
Face – Poem.
➢ The poet studies sorrowful words to express his sorrowful state.

III. Studying inventions fine

Her wits to entertain,
Ans. Inventions – Works of other poets.
Wits – mind.
Logic
❖ Poets are imitators [Gosson]
❖ The poet starts copy.
❖ If he succeeds – poet are imitators.
❖ If he fails – poets are not imitators

IV. Oft turning other leaves, to see if thence would flow

Some fresh fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain.
Ans. Other leaves – pages of other poems.
Leaves – Pages.
Thence – From there.
Study – Sunlight.
Brain – Scorched land.
Inspiration – Shower.
Creative – Fertile.
V. But words came halting forth,
Wanting invention’s stay;
Ans. Words halt – Marching Imagery.
Words – Collected /copy.
Wanting – Lacking.
Invention’s – Originality.
Stay – Presence.
➢ Study is step mother of invention.
 VI. Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame study’s blows;
Ans. Invention – Original Idea, commander of words.
Nature – Mother of invention. (Original Idea)
Study – Scholarly labour.
Blows – hurts.
VII. Thus great with child to speak and helpless in my throes,
Ans. Great – Pregnant.
Poet – Expecting mother.
VIII. Biting my truant pen,
Beating myself for spite;
Ans. Biting –
Truant – disobedient /
Spite – Anger.
IX. “Fool,” said my muse to me,
“Look in thy heart, and write.”
Ans. Heart – Nature.
Invention – Original Idea.
Words follow Idea.
Poetry from Heart.
Not from head. (Copy)
Mother Image Poet is a mother Poem is the child
Muse – Godder of inspiration.

X. “That she, dear she, might taka some pleasure of my pain”, -

Ans. Beloved I
Pleasure Pain
• Artist’s labour is often denied.

XI. “Pleasure might ……………… grace obtain,” –

Ans. Read Knowledge Sympathy Kindness
Only art gives knowledge through pleasure.

XII. “And other’s ………. in my way”.

Ans. Feet – Words (Others)
Stranger – Unknown.