Sonnet XI: I Promise

Posted by David Emeron on

For Thou art she from whom my Manna flows
And Thou art she for whom I do exist
For Thee I have become a hedonist
For Thee Mine own Desire always grows

For Thou art She from whom my Love arose
And Thou art She with whom I do entwist
For Thee I live with Joy from tryst to tryst
For Thee I Write all Poetry and Prose

For Thee I undertake the mundane world
For Thee I go about my daily deeds
For Thee I show my inner self unfurled
For Thee I set aside all other needs

For Thee I Undertake the Pain to Learn
And Thee To Whom I Someday Will Return

This sonnet is part of a short sequence; click here to read it all:

25 responses to “Sonnet XI: I Promise”

    • My sweetheart’s heart goes pitter-pat at such things. When I invented “strave” (tense of ‘strive’) she liked that as well! The latter was done much more recently. (If you are curious just type ‘strave’ into the search box up above) The former (this entire sequence of 11, was written when I was quite young.) I am rather not a “humanities type” but I found that being in love for the better part of a century has motivated me to learn about my beloved’s world.

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    • Thank you very much. And I am very pleased to hear it. This sequence of eleven was written when I was quite young. My sweet wife recently rediscovered them–they had not survived into the digital age.

      I am currently working on a set of sequences that are meant to be a primer of sorts–a gateway drug, if you will, into sonnets. I am afriad I am not quite sure if this idea will have, as it were, any traction; however, as you may have noticed, there is a large gap of days wherein I have not written or posted any sonnets, and this will go a long way toward filling the gap there. Which gap, I must say, has me feeling a little despondent. I had just finished my sixth month mark writing a sonnet every day, and then was stricken with a long lingering illness (just a cold, but still it did last for weeks!)

      I shall press on, however.

      Thank you for taking the time to acquire such a taste. It is an uncommon mark of character, I feel.

      I tell people to read them aloud. Listen to the sound, and forget about the meaning at first. That sometimes will help–if they rather think of these as short pieces of music, so to speak.

      Sometimes I put such constraints on the form–such a great deal of pressure–that it can make the meaning more difficult to discern. And, being much more a musician than a poet, If it comes between clarity and good sound, I will go with sound every time! For example,

      To My Former Self…

      this one is part of a project where I write a sonnet based on each one of Shakespeare’s sonnets. That link will show them both, with, I think Shakespeare’s fourth sonnet under mine. His is easier to understand, to be sure; however, I choose to, write these in “reverse Spenserian” form, and also use all of Shakespeare’s rhymes as internal rhymes (which you will see in italics–in the same order as in Shakespeare’s sonnet, except flipped so all the rhymes are couplet rhymes.

      In any case, none of that is important, particularly in that one; just listen to the sound of it. The meaning is harder to divine, although possible perhaps, If you read the whole sequence (I have done five of these thus far) starting with number 18 for some reason, and thenceforth going back to number one, and proceeding from there (so far).

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    • I tried to follow this particular series, I found it “hauntingly” beautiful. Thanks for the tip on reading aloud. I often do that with poetry or anything written in verse, whether from the Bible or not, so that the reading experience will be complete.

      I do hope and pray you will be better soon. Kindest regards to your beloved, especially for discovering these.

      I feel that some part of me is starting to come alive since I started reading new poetry. It all began when I set my blog-ship to search new shores this year and I feel that I may have some poetry in me awaiting to be released. Not of your caliber of course but something that’s uniquely mine. Whether I share it with the world or not…well, let’s just say that I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

      Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

      Warmly,
      Mary

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  5. Dude…..this is the dopest sonnet yet!!! (I could not resist). I think this has just surpassed anything yet. “For thee have I have become a hedonist” “for thee I undertake the mundane world”. David, I want this to be written in the sky so the universe can read and know…this…is…love

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    • It was written when I was so young. I am rather embarrassed when I read it again. It could only have been written by my younger self. It surprises me when people react to it in this way. However… as “over-the-top” as it may seem to me now, every word was deeply meant. I am very gratified that you found it so inspiring.

      I am sorry that I have been absent these last few weeks. I have not been fully engaged in answering my comments and reading other blogs, as I am involved in a very time-consuming project.

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    • It has that exuberance of youth which I found wonderful. To be able to love that freely and loudly is a wondrous thing. I know what that is like. There were times I wanted to launch myself off a tall building and catch the wind currents as if I were a falcon so I could exclaim my love for Masashi from the heights to the mundane world below..

      I figured you have been busy and I have been enjoying the words you have been putting forth.

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    • …times I wanted to launch myself off a tall building and catch the wind currents as if I were a falcon so I could exclaim my love…

      I remember…

      I have been very much so. In addition to my other work, I am in the process of building a digital instrument. I am rather “chomping at the bit,” so to speak to bring it to fruition–something involving three seemingly divergent disciplines in which I have some measure of expertise.

      In addition, there is this bit of software that has long been nagging me to be written, which will make my writing much easier. I was hoping these last months that there existed something like this already; but alas I seem to be a very rare bird indeed as regards my need of it.

      Also, there may well be more in the “Etudes” sequence, soon. There will certainly be more, at some point, but I have had a desire to write more of these soon. I may rather go out on a limb on the next four or so. I have not yet decided whether I will concentrate on repeated figures or interlaced or combined meaning. Of course, the mere writing of that sentence causes me to ask myself the following question: Why not do both at the same time? But no… too much… too much all at once.

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    • “embarassed”? My dearest love, as someone wisely mentioned above, over the top is how this sonnet reads and over the top is how I still feel. As our Kanzen said, “…times I wanted to launch myself off a tall building and catch the wind currents as if I were a falcon so I could exclaim my love…”

      And then there are the quiet moments garnered into quiet days and years spent watching you work as I rest beside you. In my heart I still fly as I cherish these quieter moments strung together that we so carefully stored up.

      Never blush at “over the top”, my foolish boy.

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