Analysis of Sonnet 42: Oh Eyes, Which Do The Spheres

Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)



Oh eyes, which do the spheres of beauty move,
Whose beams be joys, whose joys all virtues be,
Who while they make Love conquer, conquer Love,
The schools where Venus hath learn'd chastity;

Oh eyes, whose humble looks most glorious prove,
Only lov'd tyrants, just in cruelty,
Do not, oh do not from poor me remove,
Keep still my zenith, ever shine on me.

For though I never see them, but straightways
My life forgets to nourish languish'd sprites;
Yet still on me, oh eyes, dart down your rays:

And if from majesty of sacred lights,
Oppressing mortal sense, my death proceed,
Wracks triumphs be, which Love (high set) doth breed.


Scheme ABXB ABAB CCC CDD
Poetic Form
Metre 1111011101 1111111101 1111110101 0111011100 11110111001 101101010 1111111101 1111010111 111101111 1101110101 1111111111 0111001101 0101011101 1101111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 636
Words 113
Sentences 3
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 122
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
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Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. more…

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