The Faerie Queene · Chapter
Sonnet II explained
The poet addresses Lord Burleigh, the Lord High Treasurer of England, acknowledging his immense responsibilities in governing the kingdom, comparing him to Atlas bearing the weight of the firmament.
What happens
The poet addresses Lord Burleigh, the Lord High Treasurer of England, acknowledging his immense responsibilities in governing the kingdom, comparing him to Atlas bearing the weight of the firmament. The poet humbly presents his idle rhymes, admitting they are the labor of lost time and unsteady wit, yet suggests that if their deeper sense is considered and the veil hiding their fairer parts is removed, they may not seem vain. He asks Lord Burleigh to receive them and overlook their faults with his grave judgment.
Key passages
“To you, right noble Lord, whose carefull brest To menage of most grave affaires is bent; And on whose mightie shoulders most doth rest The burdein of this kingdomes governement, As the wide compasse of the firmament On Atlas mighty shoulders is upstayd”
To you, noble Lord, whose careful mind is focused on managing the most serious affairs, and on whose mighty shoulders rests the burden of governing this kingdom, just as the vast expanse of the sky is supported on Atlas's strong shoulders.
The poet compares Lord Burleigh's political responsibilities to Atlas's mythological burden, emphasizing the weight of governance.
“Unfitly I these ydle rimes present, The labor of lost time, and wit unstayd: Yet if their deeper sence be inly wayd, And the dim vele, with which from commune vew Their fairer parts are hid, aside be layd, Perhaps not vaine they may appeare to you.”
Unsuitably I present these idle rhymes, the work of wasted time and unsteady wit. Yet if their deeper meaning is carefully considered, and the dim veil that hides their fairer parts from common view is set aside, perhaps they may not seem worthless to you.
The poet acknowledges the apparent triviality of his verses but suggests they contain hidden depth and beauty that a discerning reader like Lord Burleigh might appreciate.