English 2610

I suppose I'll begin my post by stating that until this reading, "Dream of the Rood" was my least favourite selection thus far. Sir Philip Sidney's sonnets are fiercely battling with the aforementioned poem for that position. I fully understand that this is important poetry, and in many ways beautiful, but there is nothing about it that I find palatable as far as my personal taste goes.

Personal aversion aside, I feel that the recurring theme throughout much of Sir Sidney's writing, at least in these excerpts, is one of unrequited love. He is constantly referring to his sorrows regarding his affection for an unobtainable dame (selection 1, line 5 [probably my favourite line in the entire reading assignment] "I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe", or selection 23, line 11, "Holds my brain captived in a golden cage"). I mean, I understand that this gentleman is in an exorbitant amount of emotional stress due to the marriage trade-off of which he got the short end, but it's not something I'm interested in reading about over and over and over again. I grasp that she is beautiful, and unique, and pure, and etc. etc... I guess there's just not much in it for me. Now, if Sir Philip Sidney were actually Phillipir Sineysson, a Saxon thane dedicated to challenging the man to whom Stella was arranged to marry to a holmgang in which both men suffer mortal wounds after which their souls are carried by Valkyries to Walhalla where they would feast, drink, battle, and carouse until the coming of the final battle Ragnarok, then yeah - you could count me in. ;)