Detailed+analysis

Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show, That she (dear She) might take some pleasure of my pain: Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know, Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain; I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe, Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain: Oft turning others' leaves, to see if thence would flow Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sun-burned brain. But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay, Invention, Nature's child, fled step-dame Study's blows, And others' feet still seemed but strangers in my way. Thus, great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes, Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite-- "Fool," said my Muse to me, "look in thy heart and write."

- verse my love to show” - “to read” = the poetry metaphor - line 5 = “I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe” = very brutal, but trying to capture his pain in writing and for her to become sympathetic and understand what he’s going through - “sunburned brain” = he can’t think of the words to write about her, as in writer’s block? - “words came halting forth” = words were slow - “studying inventions fine” = studying literature to entertain her - Capitalizes words like “Nature,” “Invention”, “Study” = he personifies them? - “Invention, Nature’s child” = invention is nature’s child - “Muse” = as in the Muses, as in his inspiration - The ending couplet in this poem brings resolution -
 * o hoping that his pity will make her love him
 * o He wants to convey his love for her in verse
 * o *Touches on the theme of the value of poetry, as did the other 2 authors
 * o “halting forth” = oxymorons, many of the authors use oxymorons in their poems
 * o “halting forth” = stuttering? Words not coming out steadily
 * o Invention = what human beings produce
 * o “Study” = “step-dame”
 * o The words aren’t coming to him b/c he’s thinking about them too much
 * o His inspiration = his mind (Muse = someone who gives you inspiration and creativity, in modern times).
 * § Or is the Muse the lady who inspires him?
 * o Muse = the source of inspiration in his mind