Highlight Poetry (11)

Highlight Poetry is a meme created by Lace & Lavender Hints to celebrate a poem once a week.

"Loving in truth"

by Sir Philip Sidney

Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,

That the 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 sunburned brain.

But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay;

Invention, Nature's child, fled stepdame 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."

Sometimes when I have a review to write up for this blog, and I am having trouble starting, I just think of the last line in this poem.  And then I start with how the book made me feel while I was reading it and go from there.  It helps sometimes.  I first came across this poem through a quote of the last two lines, and had to look up the whole sonnet.  I love the idea that the words that you need are all inside your head and I think the imagery is fun - especially comparing your pent-up thoughts to pregnancy.