Sonnet 50: How heavy
do I journey on the way by
William Shakespeare
How heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek, my weary travel's end,
Doth teach that case and that repose to say,
"Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend!"
The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by some instinct the wretch did know
His rider loved not speed being made from thee.
The bloody spur cannot provoke him on
That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than spurring to his side;
For that same groan doth put this in my mind:
My grief lies onward and my joy behind.
When what I seek, my weary travel's end,
Doth teach that case and that repose to say,
"Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend!"
The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by some instinct the wretch did know
His rider loved not speed being made from thee.
The bloody spur cannot provoke him on
That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than spurring to his side;
For that same groan doth put this in my mind:
My grief lies onward and my joy behind.
One of the first things I noticed in this poem was the somber tone. The description of the horse “plodding” along the path and the image of the “bloodied spur” shows that neither the horse nor rider is gaining ground fast. The speaker’s confesses that “anger thrusts (the spur) into his side” signifying remorse because he places the action of spurring the horse until the spur is bloodied on anger. This could also suggest that the speaker is impatient and reacts violently when agitated or upset. From my own experience riding horses I was able to confirm that indeed the horse’s sigh was an “instinctual” as horses are quick to sense and oftentimes react to their rider’s mood. There seems to be a connection that is made between the rider and horse at the end as the speaker says that the horses groan is similar to his own because their grief is in moving forwards and there is a mental barrier or struggle that is preventing them from doing so.
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