~John’s Seven Lamps: A Shakespeare Sonnet Meta~
In HOUND, John goes through a lot while sorting through his feelings. This episode is as much about him as it is Sherlock. Even as they seem to make timid steps towards one another, there is so much left to sort and unfortunately, they again misunderstand each other, and as John leaves his tense conversation with Sherlock, he walks out of Cross Keys and straight into Fair Youth Sonnet #7.
Lo, in the orient when the gracious light
Lifts up his burning head, each under eye
Doth homage to his new-appearing sight,
Serving with looks his sacred majesty;
And having climb'd the steep-up heavenly hill, resembling strong youth in his middle age, yet mortal looks adore his beauty still, attending on his golden pilgrimage;
But when from high-most pitch, with weary car,
Like feeble age, he reeleth from the day,
The eyes, 'fore duteous, now converted are
From his low tract and look another way:
So thou, thyself outgoing in thy noon,
Unlook'd on diest, unless thou get a son.
Synopsis:
“Each day for the sun is like one lifetime for man. He is youthful, capable, and admired in the early stages of his lifetime, much like the sun is admired in the early day.
But as the sun sets and a man's aging gets the best of him, he is facing frailty and mortality, and those once concerned with man and sun are now inattentive.
At night the sun is forgotten. At death man is forgotten, unless he leaves a legacy.
This sonnet introduces new imagery, comparing the Youth to a morning sun, looked up to by lesser beings. But as he grows older he will be increasingly ignored unless he has a son to carry forward his identity into the next generation.
The poem draws on classical imagery, common in art of the period, in which Helios or Apollo cross the sky in his chariot - an emblem of passing time. The word "car" was also used classically of the sun's chariot.”
Further study of this Sonnet reveals that it touches not just on Metaphysics, and Philosophy, but also tinges of Imperialism.
Read also @mathildalocks Morana, the Slavic goddess of Death, Fertility and the Underworld for Metaphysical perspective
@asherlockstudy Why the THoB fight is much sadder than it seems at first for emotional perspective
@sarahthecoat @ebaeschnbliah @artfulkindoforder @fellshish
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