Sonnet #154

Sonnet #154

CLIV.

The little Love-god lying once asleep
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vow'd chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warm'd;
And so the general of hot desire
Was sleeping by a virgin hand disarm'd.
This brand she quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy
For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall,
Came there for cure, and this by that I prove,
Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.


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There are those who feel that this sonnet, and the preceding one, can be interpreted as indicating that Shakespeare was syphilitic and sought a cure for the condition at a spa: even The Arden Shakespeare suggests that the final line hints at venereal disease. I consider this to be complete nonsense. I would be interested to know what other users of the forum feel about this sonnet.

I never liked Shakespeare, and he might have gotten his syphilis in Venice, but definitely, this has nothing to do with it. It's utter nonsense. I think the last line is talking about infatuation and lust. That seems more likely to be the disease infused by the little god.

Scalding baths were a popular treatment for Syphilis in Shakespeare's time. Doesn't mean he had it, but the idea's not unthinkable. You could say Shakespeare's love is great because it's not quenched in the water of the bath, (The baths in general having been prepared by love's fire). There's quite a lot of stupidly intelligent scholarship, though, that doesn't carefully distinguish between Shakespeare using an idea for material, and Shakespeare rubber-stamping a going trope straight into his book.

I do not know this sonnet.
The word nymph caught my eye for just a minute.
I was out with some friends and I asked as the word came up to my head:
does nymph/nympho means very small person?
They laughed and said no it did not.
I know what It means now of course.
It does irritate me just a bit that Shakespear is allowed to mispell words, considering he was supposed to be the genus of Theatrical literature.
warm'd.
disarm'd.
vow'd
and then spell
quenched
diseased
I do not follow the inconsistancies in spelling.
Won't make anymore comments I do not think.

Needs moar cowbell