Sonnet 79
Men call you fair, and you do credit it,
For that yourself you daily such do see;
But the true fair, that is the gentle wit
And virtuous mind, is much more praised of me.
For all the rest, however fair it be,
Shall turn to naught and lose that glorious hue;
But only that is permanent and free
From frail corruption that doth flesh ensue,
That is true beauty; that doth argue you
To be divine and born of heavenly seed;
Derived from that fair Spirit, from whom all true
And perfect beauty did at first proceed:
He only fair, and what he fair hath made;
All other fair, like flowers, untimely fade.
- Edmund Spenser.
Personally, I found this sonnet stood out from the other two. Despite the overall message of the poem being one of which we are constantly reminded of, I find it is one we still continue to ignore (and ultimately, will always do). Spenser conveys one to appreciate the beauty of "...the gentle wit/ And virtuous mind..." (3), as opposed to associating human beauty to vanity and bare physical appearance.
The narrator in the sonnet speaks out to a woman who is caught up in her own shallow ideals revolving around her physical beauty. She is needless to say a fair featured individual, for men seem to often compliment her on her looks. This praise has obviously gone to her head, however, and she is ignorant to the fact that "All (...) fair, like flowers, untimely fade" (14). The narrator thus aspires to provoke thought in her and lead her to realize that its the mind's beauty that is timeless, and furthermore untouched by the physical aspects of age.
I just found the sonnet's metaphors (such as the fading flowers) to work really well ... and the message, despite being constantly used, has a lot of reason behind it. Which is why I chose this sonnet (: Or perhaps I'm still in my "Prioressa Phase" and am fascinated by vanity as an issue. Either or.
