“Epithalamion” by Edmund Spenser (1595)

This is the conclusion to Spenser’s Amoretti sonnet sequence. It is a long poem about a joyous wedding. According to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, this poem was Spenser’s wedding gift to his second wife, Elizabeth Boyle (415). It is one of his most loved poems.

“Amoretti I” by Edmund Spenser (1595)

“Amoretti I” is the beginning of Amoretti. Eyes initially appear in Line 6 of this first sonnet in the sequence. However, this sonnet includes other body parts, like “hands” (Line 1). Spenser highlights the intention behind his sonnet sequence, “Leaves, lines, and rymes, seeke her to please alone” (Line 13). Leaves, here, are another name for printed pages. This statement speaks to how the poet serves his beloved, but also how reading a sonnet sequence is often a voyeuristic act of listening in on a private conversation between lovers.

“Sonnet 1” by Sir Philip Sidney (1591)

This is the beginning of the Astrophel and Stella sonnet sequence by Sidney, Spenser’s friend. Both poets write to a beloved and discuss the “leaves” (Line 7) on which poetry is printed. However, Sidney’s poem has a much more troubled tone.