Shakespeare Sonnet 98
“From you have I been absent in the spring”
First Quatrain: “From you have I been absent in the spring”
In the first quatrain of sonnet 98, the speaker remarks, “From you have I been absent in the spring”; as he did in sonnet 97, he first begins by claiming that he is the one absent from the Muse, reversing what comes later in each poem.
The speaker paints his absence in April, who is “dress’d in all his trim” and who “Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing.” The mythologically gloomy god Saturn even responds to the glories of April by “laugh[ing] and leap[ing] with him.”
April is a time when young things begin to appear and grow, and the speaker associates his budding creativity with this season; therefore, it is an especially inopportune time for the Muse to be absent, but such is life.
Second Quatrain: “Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell”
The joys of the birds and the flowers are not sufficient to inspire the speaker to his usual state of creative elation. He cannot “any summer’s story tell.” His mood will not join the season, regardless of how he contemplates the beauty that surrounds him.
Although he is moved by the beauty of the flowers, he cannot be moved to “pluck them where they grew.” His mind will not allow him to fully appreciate the fecund material offered by spring and April.
Third Quatrain: “Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white”
The speaker’s deep admiration for “the lily’s white” and “the deep vermillion in the rose” are, nevertheless, reminders of the One who creates and sustains them—the Muse is, after all, a spark of the Divine that the speaker has come to rely on for his very life.
The speaker detects the pattern of the Divine in all creation, and that pattern is especially manifest during the spring season when nature begins to bloom and grow. The speaker calls these natural phenomena “figures of delight.” And he avers that they are, indeed, “drawn after you,” that is, the Muse. The pattern or design of the Divine is inherent in the Muse.
Although the speaker is aware that he is also a spark of the Divine, he separates himself from the concept in order to explore its nature and value.
The Couplet: “Yet seem’d it winter still, and you away”
The speaker reveals that while the Muse is “away,” it seems like winter even in spring. The “shadow[s]” of the Muse detected in the birds, lilies, and roses are not sufficient. The speaker is inviting his Muse to return by advancing his sorrow coupled with clear discernment.
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, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 116, 126, 130, 138, 146
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