Thursday, February 2, 2012

What is the meaning of the 8th line in "My True-love Hath My Heart" by Sir Philip Sidney?

In this poem, a female speaker describes the intense bond
she feels with and for a beloved male. The poem reiterates the basic idea that the
lovers have exchanged hearts: she possesses his heart and he possesses hers. In light 8,
the speaker asserts that she cherishes her beloved’s heart because it “bides” (that is,
abides) inside her. In other words, she cherishes his heart because it has
metaphorically become her own heart. To love him is to love herself; to love herself is
to love him.  Likewise, for the male, to love her is to love himself; to love himself is
to love her. The highly repetitive language of the poem reinforces the idea that there
is very little difference now between the lover and her beloved. The word “heart”
appears eight times in 14 lines. The similar-sounding word “hurt” appears an additional
three times. Such repetition helps to chief idea of the poem as a
whole.

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