In sonnet 52, the speaker observes that pleasure is best enjoyed infrequently, as he likens his enjoyment of his own creations to traditionally rare occasions.
First Quatrain: “So am I as the rich, whose blessed key”
In Sonnet 52, the speaker likens his circumstances to that of a rich man who can afford to keep “up-locked treasure.” And as the rich man would not “every hour survey” his possessions, the speaker likes to gaze on his creations sparingly, lest he lose interest in them.
The speaker possesses a “blessed key” that opens for him the locked treasure of his soul. That blessed key is his talent, his ability to compose, and his poetic creations are the treasure. He has discovered that he disdains “blunting the fine point” of his pleasure by overindulgence.
Second Quatrain: “Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare”
In the second quatrain, the speaker again dramatizes the act of forbearance in the enjoyment of pleasure: “Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare, / Since, seldom coming in the long year set.” The speaker observes that by tradition “feasts” are “so rare.” Celebrations are “solemn” and “seldom,” just as the jewels that decorate a necklace or tiara are “thinly placed.”
The speaker is celebrating and emphasizing the fact that pleasure is best when mildly and infrequently indulged. It is a human predilection to desire overindulgence in those things, people, and events found favorable. Yet this speaker has discerned that intemperance ultimately devalues the delight found in their enjoyment.
Third Quatrain: “So is the time that keeps you as my chest”
Because only occasional enjoyment provides superior zest, the speaker keeps his poetic creations locked away and infrequently takes them out for purview. He likens his ceremony to the wardrobe that keeps the robe hidden from view, when the owner takes the dress out only on special occasions.
The speaker avers that his schema promotes his intent “[t]o make some special instant special-blest.” When he takes his poem out to review it, it is as if it is a “new unfolding.” He experiences the pride of accomplishment that is “imprison’d” in the work.
The Couplet: “Blessed are you whose worthiness gives scope”
The couplet addresses his poem: “Blessed are you whose worthiness gives scope, / Being had, to triumph; being lacked, to hope.” The speaker notes that through the blessedness of his talent, his pleasure finds “scope” for “worthiness.” That he possesses the poem and all it holds leads him “to triumph,” and between the times of enjoyment, or “being lacked,” he retains the virtue of “hope.”
Other Shakespeare articles: Who is Shakespeare?
Sonnet Commentaries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 73, 96, 116, 126, 130, 138
