Sonnet 48
How careful was I, when I took my way,
absence
jealousy
protection
trust
How careful was I, when I took my way,
Each trifle under truest bars to thrust,
That to my use it might unused stay
From hands of falsehood, in sure wards of trust!
But thou, to whom my jewels trifles are,
Most worthy of comfort, now my greatest grief,
Thou, best of dearest and mine only care,
Art left the prey of every vulgar thief.
Thee have I not lock'd up in any chest,
Save where thou art not, though I feel thou art,
Within the gentle closure of my breast,
From whence at pleasure thou mayst come and part;
And even thence thou wilt be stol'n, I fear,
For truth proves thievish for a prize so dear.
What It Means
Before traveling, Shakespeare locked away his valuables. But he couldn't lock away the most precious thing — the young man. He left him exposed to everyone, accessible to all who wanted him. The fear is that his 'jewel' will be stolen or won away. It's a sonnet about possessiveness and vulnerability: the thing you love most is the thing you can't secure.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence. The travel context suggests Shakespeare was on a theatrical tour away from London.
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