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SONNET 7 |
PARAPHRASE |
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Lo! in the orient when the
gracious light |
When the first rays of the sun appear in the east, |
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Lifts up his burning head,
each under eye |
And he [the sun] lifts up his burning head, men's eyes |
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Doth homage to his
new-appearing sight, |
Pay tribute to his brand new appearance, |
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Serving with looks his
sacred majesty; |
Serving his majesty [the sun[ with looks of awe; |
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And having climb'd the
steep-up heavenly hill, |
And when he climbs that hill to heaven [ascends back into the sky], |
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Resembling strong youth in
his middle age, |
Like a strong young man in the prime of life, |
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yet mortal looks adore his
beauty still, |
Mortals still worship his glory, |
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Attending on his golden
pilgrimage; |
Watching closely his climb into the sky; |
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But when from highmost
pitch, with weary car, |
But when from his zenith he, with his weary horses [car=chariot], |
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Like feeble age, he reeleth
from the day, |
Staggers away from the day like he is old and feeble, |
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The eyes, 'fore duteous, now
converted are |
The eyes [of men], before dutiful, now turn away from him |
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From his low tract and look
another way: |
They turn away from his path in the sky and look elsewhere: |
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So thou, thyself out-going
in thy noon, |
So you, youself on your way to old age, |
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Unlook'd on diest, unless
thou get a son. |
You will die unregarded [like the sun], unless you have a son. |