Amoretti: Sonnet 15 (“Ye tradefull Merchants,
that with weary toyle”) EDMUND SPENSER (1595)
In Sonnet 15 from EDMUND SPENSER’s Amoretti, the
speaker praises his Lady’s beauty extravagantly, asking
merchants why they look all over the world to buy pre-
cious beautiful things when all the world’s riches may
be found right here in the person of his beloved.
Twelve lines of Sonnet 15 are a conventional catalogue
of the lady’s beauty, a BLAZON, but the COUPLET estab-
lishes the lady’s mind to be “that which fairest is,” for it
is “adornd with vertues manifold” (ll. 13–14).
Unlike most English SONNET SEQUENCEs, the poems
in Amoretti are not addressed to an unobtainable mis-
tress, but to Elizabeth Boyle, the woman Spenser hoped
to—and eventually did—marry. While some of the
sonnets were probably written before the two became
involved, the couplet of Sonnet 15 indicates the
speaker has a more comprehensive experience of the
woman’s mental qualities beyond her superfi cial
appearance. This knowledge raises Amoretti 15 above
the level of a conventional blazon, and the lady above
the level of a simple love object. This SONNET is largely
indebted to Sonnet 32 of Philippe Desportes’ Les
Amours des Diana (The Loves of Diana); however, Des-
portes’ sonnet is entirely a blazon, with no references
to the lady’s mind or personality. He creates the occa-
sion for his blazon by asking merchants why they
search the world for treasure when here they will fi nd
all that Africa could offer. Spenser has taken over the
scenario and the strategy, but he has carried the result
beyond the physical.
Spenser’s characteristic STANZA form—abab, bcbc,
cdcd, ee—permits him to evade the usual restrictions of
the sonnet, and, logically, it reads most clearly as SES-
TET, sestet, couplet; syntactically, as QUATRAIN, couplet,
sestet, couplet. The fi rst quatrain sets the scene by ask-
ing why the “tradefull Merchants” (l. 1) work so hard
to obtain rare and beautiful treasures from all around
the world. “[B]oth the Indias” (l. 3) encompasses the
entire commercial world, since the East Indias refer to
the Malay Archipelago and the West Indias to the lands
in the Caribbean. Beginning in line 5, the speaker
claims his beloved is more beautiful than anything to
be found in the entire world; within the genre of son-
nets, such HYPERBOLE is conventional. His inventory fol-
lows a strict pattern. Each valued item is presented in a
clause that omits the verb phrase you seek; thus: “If
[you seek] Saphyres, loe her eies be Saphyres plaine”
(l. 7). These are not similes; in fact, they are barely
comparisons. Her eyes are not as blue as sapphires;
they are sapphires. Only in line 10 does the poet sub-
stitute “weene” (think) for “be”; this is the single place
where he acknowledges the metaphoric character of
his beloved’s treasures. Otherwise, the speaker’s
beloved “doth in her selfe containe / All this worlds
riches” (ll. 5–6) very literally; six precious materials—
sapphires, rubies, pearls, ivory, gold, and silver—com-
pose this woman’s head and hands, the only features
the poet describes.
The couplet indicates that what makes this woman
special and most beautiful to the poet—her mind—
remains private and exclusive. This is signaled in the
sonnet by the doubled use of “but” in two distinctive
senses: “But that which fairest is, but few behold” (l.
13). The fi rst “but” is a conjunction, the second a mod-
ifying intensifi er, synonymous with “only.” Although
everyone can see the woman’s eyes, hair, lips, hands,
etc., only a few can know her well enough to be
acquainted with her mind “adornd with vertues mani-
fold” (l. 14). Another feature of this intimate detail is
the way the poet expresses it: While the speaker details
six features, not one virtue is named. The woman’s face
and hands are public territory; anyone privileged to see
her can observe her beauty. Only someone further
honored by her acquaintance, however, can appreciate
the quality of her mind.
See also AMORETTI (OVERVIEW).
Marjory E. LangeAmoretti: Sonnet 22 (“This holy season fi t to
fast and pray”) EDMUND SPENSER (1595) One of
the “little love poems” dedicated to Elizabeth Boyle,
EDMUND SPENSER’s wife, the poem details the second
year of their courtship. As part of the structural time
scheme inherent in the overall Amoretti sequence, this
poem is set during the Lenten season, the period of
fasting and penitence that begins with Ash Wednesday
and ends with Easter (“This holy season fi t to fast and
pray,” l. 1). The poet compares his devotion to his
beloved with his religious devotion, elevating her toAMORETTI: SONNET 22 15