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| Hood on a Goshawk |
| Source: M-J Hoods Gallery |
<< 1. apace: swiftly fiery-footed steeds: the horses drawing the chariot of the sun-god.
<< 2. Phoebus' lodging: i.e., below the western horizon. wagoner: charioteer.
<< 3. Phaëthon: i.e., a reckless charioteer. Phaëthon, the sun-god's son, was allowed to drive the sun's chariot for a day, but he could not keep control and had to be killed by Zeus.
<< 6-7. That runaways' eyes may wink and Romeo / Leap to these arms, untalk'd of and unseen: "Wink" means "shut," and it's clear that Juliet wants eyes to shut because she wants Romeo to come to her "untalk'd of and unseen." What's not clear is why it is "runaways' eyes" that must "wink." Perhaps she's still thinking of the runaway steeds of the sun-chariot when it was driven by Phaëthon. Perhaps she is thinking of herself and Romeo as runaways.
<< 8-9. Lovers can see to do their amorous rites / By their own beauties: In the love poetry of Shakespeare's time, eyes—especially beautiful eyes—were described as shining, giving off beams of light.
<< 12. learn me: teach me. lose a winning match: Both Juliet and Romeo will lose their virginity and win satisfaction of their love.
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<< 14. Hood my unmann'd blood, bating in my cheeks: cover my untamed blood, which is beating in my cheeks. In the practice of falconry, an "unmann'd" (untamed) hawk is controlled by hooding it. Once hooded, the hawk is less likely to "bate," beat its wings wildly.
<< 15-16. till strange love grow bold, / Think true love acted simple modesty: until shy love grows bold, and comes to think of love-making as innocent chastity.
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<< 47. cockatrice: lengendary creature which killed with a look.
<< 49. Or those eyes shut: or if those eyes [Romeo's] are shut in death.
<< 51. Brief sounds determine of my weal or woe: short sounds will decide my happiness or woe.
<< 53. God mark: A common expression used to avert ill omen.
<< 56. gore-blood: clotted blood. swounded: swooned.
<< 59. Vile earth: i.e., her body. resign: surrender, return.
<< 64. blows so contrary: blows in different directions.
<< 67. trumpet: the "last trump," signalling doomsday, the Day of Judgment.
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<< 73. f1ow'ring: i.e., youthful and fair, like the face of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. (The fair face of the serpent can be seen at the top of the engraving.)
<< 77. Despised substance of divinest show: despicable reality with most divine appearance.
<< 78. Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st: exactly opposite of what you truly seem to be by your appearance.
<< 80. what hadst thou to do in hell: what would you be doing in hell?
<< 87. naught: worthless, wicked.
<< 88. man: servant. aqua-vitae: alcoholic spirits.
<< 102. native spring: natural source.
<< 103. Your tributary drops belong to woe, / Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy: your tear-drops of tribute should be a dedicated to woe, [but] those tear-drops, confusing joy and woe, are [actually] offered up to joy. In other words, Juliet's tears of sorrow for the death of Tybalt are really tears of joy for the life of Romeo.
<< 116. delights in fellowship: The current (C.E. 2007) equivalent phrase is "loves company."
<< 117. needly: necessarily. rank'd with: included with, counted as equal with.
<< 120. Which modern lamentations might have moved: which might have provoked ordinary lamentations.
<< 121. But with a rearward following Tybalt's death, / "Romeo is banished"?: This is the conclusion of a question which begins at line 116. The whole question may be condensed as follows: "if woe loves company, why wasn't the news of Tybalt's death simply followed by the news of the death of my mother or father, which would have been bad enough, without the overwhelming ambush of the news that Romeo is banished? A "rearward" is a rearguard action, an ambush meant to stop an advancing army from pursuing a retreating army.
<< 126. sound: (1) express; (2) fathom.
<< 132. beguil'd: tricked, cheated.
