Sonnet 137

Song Meaning

This sonnet opens with a direct, almost exasperated address to Love, personified as a "blind fool." The narrator questions how Love has corrupted his sight, making his eyes see beauty but fail to recognize its true form. It's a paradox: his eyes possess the faculty of sight and know what beauty is, yet they are deceived into valuing the "worst" as the "best." This immediate setup establishes a profound sense of internal conflict and bewilderment regarding perception and desire. The central tension arises from the disconnect between the narrator's physical sight and his heart's judgment, both seemingly misled by Love. His eyes are "corrupt by over-partial looks," fixated on a beauty that is widely available, a "wide world's common place." Yet, his heart is "tied" to this flawed perception by "hooks" forged from the eyes' falsehood. The narrator grapples with why his heart insists on valuing this common beauty as something unique and special, a "several plot." The most striking aspect of the craft here is the extended metaphor of the eyes and heart being tricked by Love. The imagery of "hooks" that tie the heart's judgment to the eyes' "falsehood" is particularly potent, suggesting a forceful, almost violent, manipulation of the narrator's inner world. The accusation that Love has put "fair truth upon so foul a face" highlights the deceptive nature of the beloved's appearance, which the narrator's corrupted senses now mistake for genuine beauty. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their raw, confessional tone and the precise articulation of a common human failing: being captivated by superficial appearances. The narrator's frustration with his own senses and judgment, his admission that both "heart and eyes have erred," makes his plight feel deeply personal and relatable. The final couplet seals this sense of being trapped, transferred to a "false plague" from which there seems no escape.