Skip to content
Linespedia

Sonnets: Idea XLIX

By Michael Drayton

Topics: classic

Thou leaden brain, which censur'st what I write,     And sayst my lines be dull and do not move,     I marvel not thou feel'st not my delight,     Which never felt'st my fiery touch of love;         But thou whose pen hath like a packhorse served,     Whose stomach unto gall hath turned thy food,     Whose senses like poor prisoners, hunger-starved     Whose grief hath parched thy body, dried thy blood;         Thou which hast scornd life and hated death,     And in a moment, mad, sober, glad, and sorry;     Thou which hast banned thy thoughts and curst thy birth     With thousand plagues more than in purgatory;         Thou thus whose spirit love in his fire refines,         Come thou and read, admire, applaud my lines!

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"Thou leaden brain, which censur'st what I write,..."

This evocative piece by Michael Drayton, titled "Sonnets: Idea XLIX", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Michael Drayton

"Thou leaden brain, which censur'st what I write,..." by Michael Drayton

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"DORILVS in sorrowes deepe,         Autumne waxing olde and chill,         As he sate his Flocks to keepe         Vnderneath an easie hill:"

"You best discern'd of my interior eies,     And yet your graces outwardly diuine,     Whose deare remembrance in my bosome lies,     Too riche"

"Such was old Orpheus cunning,     That sencelesse things drew neere him,     And heards of beasts to heare him,     The stock, the stone, the O"

"To such as say thy love I overprize,     And do not stick to term my praises folly,     Against these folks that think themselves so wise,"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Michael Drayton

About Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton (1563–1631) was an English poet whose "Poly-Olbion" (1612–1622) is a vast topographical poem describing the landscape and legends of England and Wales. His sonnet "Since there's no help" is among the finest of the Elizabethan era.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"DORILVS in sorrowes deepe,         Autumne waxing ..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.