Saturday, 26 November 2011

Hurrah sonnet time

I'm pretty sure everyone's known someone so completely gorgeous that they (think) they can get away with pretty much anything. I suppose it's true to a certain degree, but in the long run, well, Spenser's Sonnet 79 describes it pretty well. 

Men call you fayre and you doe credit it,
For that your selfe ye dayly such doe see:
But the trew fayre, that is the gentle wit,
And vertous mind, is much more praysd of me.

For all the rest, how ever fayre it be,
Shall turne to nought and loose that glorious hew:
But onely that is permanent and free
From frayle corruption, that doth flesh ensew

That is true beautie: that doth argue you
To be divine and borne of heavly seed:
Derived from that fayre Spirit, from whom al true
And perfect beauty did at first proceed.

He onely fayre, and what he fayre hath made:
All other fayre, lyke flowres, untymely fade. 


So what I got from this is that basically, there's a beautiful woman. People think she's pretty and she knows it. In fact, she's probably one of those aforementioned "I can do anything, say anything because I'm GORGEOUS and y'all love me" types. Yet Spenser argues that true beauty is on the inside; that external beauty only lasts until you start growing old and deteriorating. And when that time comes, you best have some other qualities that people will like you for if you expect to not be -foreveralone- later on. Is it wrong to be vain? Not really. Everyone is to a certain degree, and it's not a bad thing to want to look presentable. But there is definitely a limit as to how big of a part vanity plays in your life. Once it starts to override other things like kindness, respect or compassion for example, that's when it starts to become a problem.

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