Sonnet 52
So am I as the rich, whose blessed key
absence
value
pleasure
rarity
So am I as the rich, whose blessed key
Can bring him to his sweet up-locked treasure,
The which he will not every hour survey,
For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure.
Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare,
Since, seldom coming, in the long year set,
Like stones of worth they thinly placed are,
Or captain jewels in the carcanet.
So is the time that keeps you as my chest,
Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide,
To make some special instant special blest,
By new unfolding his imprison'd pride.
Blessed are you, whose worthiness gives scope,
Being had, to triumph, being lack'd, to hope.
What It Means
Shakespeare compares himself to someone who has a treasure locked away. They don't open it every day — the rarity is the pleasure. If you saw a feast every day, you'd stop valuing feasts. The young man is his 'sweet up-locked treasure,' and the occasional visit is more valuable than constant availability. Absence isn't loss; it's the condition that makes presence precious.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence. The key/chest/treasure metaphor creates an image of the beloved as something rare and secured.
Buy the Arden edition of the Sonnets on Amazon →
As an Amazon Associate, ShakespeareGo earns from qualifying purchases.