Without a break, the 1595 collection continues with
the 20 sonnets. Barnfi eld developed a new rhyme
scheme for his sonnets (abba, cddc, effe, gg) but gener-
ally follows the ENGLISH SONNET structure. Classical
allusions abound in the poems, which are set in the
typical conventions of the love sonnet: the alienated
and sometimes despondent seeker, Daphnis; the scorn-
ful, or at least indifferent, Ganymede; a BLAZON to Gan-
ymede’s beauty; and dialogues and monologues to
resolve the unrequited love. The poems range from the
philosophical to the sensual, at times quite graphic
with sexual innuendo, and reverberate with the depth
of emotional expression of desire.
Following the sonnets are “An Ode” and Cassandra.
In “An Ode,” the central feature of which is an over-
heard COMPLAINT of Daphnis concerning the scornful
Ganymede, the poet/speaker, an observer, notes that in
Daphnis’s heart the word Eliza is written (l. 92). “An
Ode” thus combines the world imaged in the sonnets
with the world of Cynthia. Cassandra also has a stanza
in praise of Queen Elizabeth I (ll. 217–222); here the
poet asks for pardon for not being able to praise “Eliza”
correctly, almost as an aside. The poem itself follows
the prophetess Cassandra’s fate during the Trojan War.
Both blessed and cursed by the gift of prophesy that no
one believes, the powerless Cassandra eventually com-
mits suicide. It is an expression of amorous, hetero-
sexual desire that stands in contrast to the other poems
in this 1595 collection.
Cynthia, with Certain Sonnets (1595) is indeed a var-
ied collection, featuring a range of poetic genres and
subjects. The themes of passionate desire, whether het-
erosexual or homosexual, and nationalism enshrined
in Queen Elizabeth make this collection unique in
English poetry.
FURTHER READING
Barnfi eld, Richard. The Complete Poems. Edited by George
Klawitter. Selinsgrove, Pa.: Susquehanna University Press,
1990.
Borris, Kenneth, and George Klawitter, eds. The Affectionate
Shepherd: Celebrating Richard Barnfi eld. Selinsgrove, Pa.:
Susquehanna University Press, 2001.
Bray Alan. Homosexuality in Renaissance England. New York:
Columbia University Press, 1995.
Hicks-Jenkins, Clive. The Affectionate Shepheard. Llandogo,
England: Old Stile Press, 1998.
———. Sonnets by Richard Barnfi eld. Llandogo, England:
Old Stile Press, 2001.
Worrall, Andrew. “Richard Barnfi eld: A New Biography.”
N&Q 39 (1992): 370–371.
Daniel F. PiggCy nthia , with Ce r tain Sonnet s: Sonnet 1 (“Sport-
ing at fancie, setting light by love”) RICHARD
BARNFIELD (1595) Sonnet 1, “Sporting at fancie, set-
ting light by love,” written in RICHARD BARNFIELD’s
unique rhyme scheme (abba, cddc, effe, gg) combines
elements of both ITALIAN (PETRARCHAN) SONNET and
ENGLISH SONNET forms and uses imagery typical of the
SONNET originating with PETRARCH and popularized in
England by SIR THOMAS WYATT and HENRY HOWARD,
EARL OF SURREY. Composed with an elaborate irony that
confuses thief and victim, the sonnet shows that the
speaker, Daphnis, has been complicit in the loss of his
heart to the “theefe” (Ganymede). It has been taken,
and he desired that it be taken. The poem depicts a
kind of allegorical struggle in the speaker between the
forces of reason and conscience. Reason is typically the
faculty that promotes the judgment of ideas, and con-
science provides a kind of moral check against actions
that are performed. The “beauty” (l. 5) of Ganymede
has brought about the loss of Daphnis’s heart, yet there
are no images of outward physical violence in the act of
theft. Neither conscience as judge or “twelve Reasons”
(l. 9) as the jury can convict Ganymede of the theft. The
eyes are the avenue through which the theft has
occurred, a typical site for the loss of the heart originat-
ing with the medieval tradition of COURTLY LOVE.
Rather than judgment being given against the
“theefe,” it is given against the speaker in the fi nal COU-
PLET with “in teares still to be drowned, / When his
faire forehead with disdain is frowned” (ll. 13–14). The
conclusion is a typical convention of the sonnet in
which the lady’s scorn brings pain to the male speaker.
Of course, here that convention is shifted seamlessly to
two male lovers. Daphnis is ultimately responsible for
the loss of his own heart.
See also ALLEGORY; CYNTHIA, WITH CERTAIN SONNETS
(OVERVIEW).
Daniel F. Pigg134 CYNTHIA, WITH CERTAIN SONNTS: SONNET 1