Sonnet 56

Song Meaning

This sonnet opens with a direct plea to "sweet love" to "renew thy force," immediately establishing a sense of urgency and a fear of love's decline. The narrator worries that love's "edge" might become "blunter" than mere physical appetite, which naturally wanes and then returns with renewed vigor. The core tension lies in the narrator's desperate attempt to prevent love from succumbing to a "perpetual dulness." The central conflict is the struggle against the natural ebb and flow of passion, personified here as a force that needs constant replenishment. The narrator argues against letting the "spirit of love" be killed by a temporary lull, likening this "sad interim" to the ocean separating lovers. This separation, however, is framed not as a disaster but as a necessary prelude to a more intense reunion. The most striking craft element is the extended metaphor comparing love's renewal to natural cycles of hunger and satiation, and then to the seasons. The narrator urges love to be like appetite, which is "sharpen'd" after feeding, or like winter, which makes "summer's welcome thrice more wish'd, more rare." This framing suggests that absence and a temporary dullness can actually heighten the eventual joy and appreciation of love's return. Ultimately, the lyrics are effective because they articulate a profound anxiety about love's impermanence while offering a hopeful, almost strategic, perspective on how to combat it. By reframing the "sad interim" as a period that amplifies future joy, the narrator crafts an argument for patience and endurance, suggesting that love's strength is proven not just in its presence but in its powerful, anticipated return.