Sonnet 52 - Key, Treasure, Survey, Pleasure: Shakespeare's Instructions to Readers

The first four rhyme words of this poem are a major Easter egg.

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Transcript

Key Treasure Survey Pleasure - Sonnet 52 (4.10)

Hello Shakespeareans and welcome back to the Metasonnets podcast.  Today we’re at a fun one, Sonnet 52.  The first four rhyme words we’re going to hear are “key, treasure, survey, pleasure.”  And, that’s what I want you to get from this episode.  I will give you the “key.”  Then, you’ll see the “treasure.”  At that point, you’ll “survey” Section 4 and truly appreciate what Shakespeare has created.  After that, you’ll experience the “pleasure” of these poems in a new way.  Key, treasure, survey, pleasure.  This is what the text tells us it wants us to do.  These are our instructions and they were clearly given to us by Shakespeare himself.  So, that’s my hope for you: Key, treasure, survey, pleasure.

To give you a quick idea into what I’m talking about, here’s my modified reworking of the poem:

I feel like the person who has discovered the secret structure for the first time.  It feels like winning the lottery because my poems suddenly have so much more depth.  I can survey the ideas both big and small and then enjoy with great pleasure a feat so rare it seldom happens.

Reading these poems is like the best feast of the year.  The secrets are like stones of worth, strategically placed or expensive jewels in an exquisite necklace.

There is a chest that has a double meaning.  The chest is the framework that holds the poems together, but it is also like a safe and my secret is locked up inside.  It’s like a closet with a curtain in front of it.  Readers will feel special when they unfold the proud secrets of this author.

If you truly understand the full scope of everything I did with this work, you are blessed.  If readers know the key exists, this is a triumph, but if it still hasn’t happened, there will still be hope that it’s eventually discovered.

Okay, I hope that’s helpful for listeners who don’t want to listen to the full episode and I want to front load that modernized translation for you them.  You decide how close or far away I am from actually unlocking the poem.  But, let’s move on because I have a little more introduction to get through.  In order to best understand the “key,” you need to know my numbering system.  It makes everything easier and gives you a lot of information.  For example, for today, before listening to this episode, I recommend you study Sonnets 43, 52, 53, and 54.  It’s very important to consider this quartet as a single quatrain.  Sonnet 43 introduces so many words and ideas, but most of them aren’t discussed over the next eight sonnets.  In essence, Sonnet 43 feels like a one off until you look ahead, and then, it’s here, at this point, Sonnet 52, where the Narrator will opens up about some of his secrets.  

What’s critical to understand is that the ideas discussed today were all introduced nine sonnets earlier at the beginning of Act 2.  Historically, Sonnets 52 and 43 weren’t connected because they were separated by so much space.  We, however, will see that these poems slot in as the first, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth sonnets in the section.  Other than the couplet, these poems begin and end the section.  In many ways, the ideas in these four poems are rich because we can enjoy them in new ways.  First, we are able to look at these poems in terms of placement within the section.  We have a much deeper understanding because we can look at this poem within the context of the eight poems between Sonnets 43 and 52.  Second, we will be able to see things in these poems that heavily support the theory that the secret structure was intentionally hidden.  So, if you haven’t already, please read Sonnets 43, 52, 53, and 54.  Also, you might prefer to read this transcript and not listen to me.  If so, that’s fine.  Transcripts are available at www.sonnetspodcast.com.  Please put in the www, and you can also email me at sonnetspodcast@gmail.com.

Moving on, let’s discuss my special numbering system for the sonnets.  43, 52, 53, and 54 are not useful location markers because, in truth, they are actually really confusing.  It’s possible you, the listener, are struggling to keep these numbers straight in your head right now and you may have already forgotten them.  So, how about these new numbers: 4.1, 4.10, 4.11, and 4.12?  The first number four tells you that this is Section 4.  The second number will count from 1-14 and it repeats itself 11 times in the work.  In other words, I’m focusing on the first, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth sonnets in the section.  Isn’t this easier for you?  

If you’re reading the work, once you get into the 50’s, keeping up with the math in your head is impossible.  That’s why I invented this numbering system.  It immediately tells you the poem's location within the 11x14=154 framework.  Conversely, it’s simple to use my numbering system in reverse.  Sonnet 43 or 4.1 is just 3 x 14 which is 42 plus one which is 43.  So, to figure out the normal number of any sonnet in Section 4, just add the second number to 42.  So, 4.10 = 42 plus 10 which equals 52.

This may seem weird or too foreign at first, but my numbering system is so helpful and I think there’s a good chance that you’ll soon hand write the numbers onto every poem in your paper copy at home.  Today’s poem is Sonnet 4.10 and I will make a lot of references to Sonnet 4.1.  In many ways, you might say that this number system is the “key” to understanding the metasonnet secret structure.  The word “key” is intentional because it’s an easter egg in this poem.

However, before we get into today’s poem, I want to zoom out and look at the big picture.  Let’s consider the narrative.  According to my reckoning, Section 4 abandons the traditional 4442 arrangement of three quatrains and a couplet.  Instead, Section 4 uses a 16232 arrangement.  The one is Sonnet 4.1, introducing the themes that the structure exists and that it was intentionally hidden.  The 6 is the next six sonnets.  All of them use metaphors to explain the secret structure and its relationship to both the poet and the poems.  The 2 is the turn, the horse sonnets, which I covered in the last two episodes.  This is where the Narrator confesses that the writing within the 11x14 framework is hard, dull, and slowing him down.  So, he both literally and metaphorically dumps the structure and decides allegorically to ride out and compose poetry on his own.

This is all lead-up to what we’re about to read today.  The narrator understands that he’s writing for two audiences.  One is the traditional audience that has no idea that the metasonnets exist.  The other is us because unlike those with described as having “sightless eyes” in Sonnet 4.1, we have the key.  We know that the entire backstory for Sonnet 4.10 is the eight sonnets before.  We also know that we’re revisiting the main ideas of Sonnet 4.1, the opening of Section 4.  Additionally, we are aware that Sections 1-3 form a completely different narrative arc.  So, we’re just looking at Section 4.  

Now that we have this locational data, we can listen as Shakespeare, or at least the narrator, gives us his opinions on the Metasonnets.  More importantly, we will get his commentary on Section 4.

Here is Sonnet 4.10 or Sonnet 52:

So am I as the rich whose blessèd key

Can bring him to his sweet up-lockèd treasure,

The which he will not ev’ry hour survey,

For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure.

Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare,

Since seldom coming in the long year set,

Like stones of worth they thinly placèd are,

Or captain jewels in the carcanet.

So is the time that keeps you as my chest,

Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide

To make some special instant special blessed

By new unfolding his imprisoned pride.

Blessèd are you whose worthiness gives scope,

Being had, to triumph, being lacked, to hope.

Here is the No Fear Translation:

I’m like a rich man who has the key to a great treasure chest, but who resists opening it every hour, because he doesn’t want to spoil his pleasure by getting too used to the treasure. That’s why holiday feasts are so infrequent: Spaced out across the year, they’re like precious jewels placed evenly across a crown. In the same way, the time that keeps us apart is my treasure chest, or it’s like a closet that hides a beautiful robe—the closet makes a special occasion even more special when it is opened to reveal its hidden splendor. You are blessed with such great worth that those who are with you feel triumphant, and those who are not with you hope to be.

This poem has complex elements arranged into 4 clear ideas.  Quatrain 1 describes the situation of a reader who doesn’t know about the metasonnets.  Quote, “key, treasure, survey, pleasure.”  Quatrain 2 uses metaphors to describe the experience of discovering the structure.  It’s like a rare feast or looking at jewels in an exquisite necklace.  Quatrain 3 redescribes the situation of the secret structure.  Discovering it will allow us to quote “unfold” his pride and joy.  The couplet concludes with a message.  The key enables readers to see the full “scope” of the work, but only if it’s known.  The last line is, “Being had, to triumph, being lacked, to hope.”  In other words, if readers have the key, there is triumph, but if there’s lack of this, the poems will hope to be discovered later in the future.

What I’m going to do from this point in the episode is this.  I will give my paraphrased version of the poem.  I don’t think it’s too hard to understand.  I want to directly line up my ideas with the text.  You can then easily make your own decisions about their full credit.  After that, I’m going to spotlight the most important lines in the poem.  These are specific references to the metasonnets.  We’ll then test my assumptions against the text and see what happens.

Moving on, we need to talk about its characters and we have two questions.  First is: who is the 2nd person “you” at the end to whom this poem is addressed.  Rather than rattle off the usual subjects, I'll give you a good guess.  I think he is talking about the work as a whole, but through the prism of the fact that we are in the climax of Section 4.  After the clear 3 part story that is Act 1, Section 4 completely opens up what this work will be.  It’s incredibly philosophical and rich with secret details.  Acts 3 and 4 have different narrative arcs that focus on daily life.  So let’s appreciate this celebration or as Shakespeare calls it, a quote “feast.”  I believe this is a triumph of greatness and a rare moment when the real Shakespeare might actually be bragging.  That’s why I think this is quote “you.” 

The second character we need to figure out is: who is the “rich man?”  The first line is: “So am I as the rich whose blessèd key.”  I have two candidates.  The first is the narrator.  The second is us, the readers.  Let me explain.  It could be Shakespeare.  His creation has made him rich.  Sure, that works.  However, what if the rich man is the person who discovers the key?  That discovering the secret feels like becoming rich.  Personally, I think both options are viable, but I’m going to pretend that it’s us, but I like how it informs the rest of the poem.

Again, here’s my modified translation: 

I feel like the person who has discovered the secret structure for the first time.  It feels like winning the lottery because my poems suddenly have so much more depth.  They can survey the ideas both big and small and then enjoy with great pleasure a feat so rare it seldom happens.

Reading these poems is like the best feast of the year.  The secrets are like stones of worth, strategically placed or expensive jewels in an exquisite necklace.

There is a chest that has a double meaning.  The chest is the framework that holds the poems together, but it is also like a safe and my secret is locked up inside.  It’s like a closet with a curtain in front of it.  Readers will feel special when they unfold the proud secrets of this author.

If you truly understand the full scope of everything I did with this work, you are blessed.  If readers know the key exists, this is a triumph, but if it still hasn’t happened, there will still be hope that it’s eventually discovered.

I hope that paraphrased version makes sense.  At the same time, I am challenged by the poem because I see different ways to read it.  They all support my big ideas, but that doesn’t mean I have a single answer.  In other words, you may see things differently, but still agree with me in the big picture.  I really want to believe that the second person quote “you” in the couplet is us the reader.  Wouldn’t that be neat?  Shakespeare telling us, “blessed are you whose worthiness gives scope.”  Or we are blessed because we solved the puzzle and fully understand these poems.  I love this reading.  However, I realize that academia will hate it and say mean things to anyone who suggests it.  There’s no way Shakespeare was talking to his readers, right?  Well, maybe?

Regardless, let’s go through the poem.

Lines 1-4: 

So am I as the rich whose blessèd key

Can bring him to his sweet up-lockèd treasure,

The which he will not ev’ry hour survey,

For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure.

The main thing that pops here is the rhyme words: “key treasure survey pleasure.”  This is a special moment because these words are a unique Easter egg.  However, there’s more here.  Let’s note two ideas.  The first is the opening line, “So am I as the rich.”  For the narrator, this is a freakishly bold line.  The narrator, or Shakespeare himself, is declaring that the creation of the metasonnets is like wealth, at least in the artistic sense.  Imagine the pride of this declaration, but also knowing that without context, the reader doesn’t understand the value of that statement.  

The second idea I want to note is that Shakespeare isn’t acknowledging that Section 4 breaks the rules.  Rather, this is all part of the plan.  I’m not suggesting that this poem isn’t aware that it’s part of Section 4, but rather, the poet is taking a step to look at the big picture.  In this poem, Shakespeare is celebrating the overall greatness of the metasonnets, but he's also self-aware that this is Section 4, the place where all the rules are broken.

Lines 5-8:

Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare,

Since seldom coming in the long year set,

Like stones of worth they thinly placèd are,

Or captain jewels in the carcanet.

For me, the most interesting part is the last two lines.  “Thinly placed stones” and “jewels in the carcanet” evokes the ideology that even without the metasonnets, The 154 Sonnets are independently beautiful.  However, the secrets will stand out on their own, enhancing the overall work, but also being distinctly obvious.  This idea will be revisited in the upcoming two poems, but it’s important to understand.  The narrator sees the metasonnets and the poems as two separate beautiful things.  It’s not singular.  However, the theme that Shakespeare is starting to create is that the metasonnets are like icing on a cake.  The cake itself is already delicious, but the icing on top makes it just a little bit better.  

Lastly, there’s also the theme of scarcity with the phrases “so solemn and so rare” and “seldom coming.”  I think this references one of two things.  The first is that the greatness of The Sonnets is such a rare achievement.  Few writers have this ability to make something this good.  The other is a reference to Section 4.  This diversion is a special because nothing else like it will happen in the work.

Lines 9-12:

So is the time that keeps you as my chest,

Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide

To make some special instant special blessed

By new unfolding his imprisoned pride.

There are two parts that stick out to me here.  The first is the word “chest” because it has a double meaning connection to prior sonnets in the section.  The word “chest” has been used to refer to both Shakespeare’s heart and box within secrets were buried.  The next is line 12, “new unfolding his imprisoned pride.”  I love the verb “unfolding.”  It evokes geometry and suggests there are so many easter eggs hidden throughout the work.

More importantly, there are three characters here: the narrator, the 3rd person him, and the second person you.  Line 9 is the first use of the 2nd person “you.”  If the masculine “him” is the poems, then the second person “you” can be the metasonnets.  This works as the narrator is explaining how the secret works.  It’s like a hidden robe in a chest.  At the same time, I believe the second person “you” also has a double meaning because I think you can also be people who have the key.

Couplet:

Blessèd are you whose worthiness gives scope,

Being had, to triumph, being lacked, to hope.

The first word I like is “scope.”  The idea is that Section 4 has completely opened up the scope of what this work will be.  Section 4 is so different from all the other Young Man sections.  The second thing to note is the last line.  It can be read as a warning.  The idea being that if someone doesn’t have the key, these poems are a disappointment.  Obviously, there are other ways to read this couplet and I’m not married to one idea.  It doesn’t change the overall big picture.  However, I believe this is textual evidence that loosely indicates that the metasonnets are a secret and that it was intentionally hidden.

And so there we have it.  Certain parts of this poem may have different interpretations, and maybe I’m not 100% consistent in this episode, but the big idea is that Sonnet 4.10 is a celebration poem of what Shakespeare has just pulled off.  Section 4 is a truly unique creation for the Bard and some of these poems are just dripping with easter eggs.  Shakespeare knows this and he uses the idea that beauty enhances beauty.  If you’ve read ahead, you’ll know that the idea of beauty enhancing beauty is prominent.

This is a great poem because we have the full context of what it means both in the moment and big picture.

Okay.  That’s it.  Next week, we’ll continue with these ideas in Sonnet 4.11.  Only four poems are left in Section 4.  Thanks for listening.