By light of day he sees her twice;
with truth and beauty she does shine.
Together so, his two eyes splice
what love does well combine.
Truth with all its honours bound
glows best when bathed in light.
Beauty too, is likewise found
where shines the sun most bright.
Light reveals her sights unseen
and brings to fore her vision;
shines on spaces in between
to uncover what is hidden.
. The bright source of genuine affection:
. illuminated love; delight in its projection.

© Tim Grace, 16 June 2011

To the reader: Delight; illuminated love… a revelation! Beauty and truth are tested through exposure and upon illumination become a vision. Truth without beauty casts a shadow of doubt. Beauty without truth shines dimly. Honesty has nothing to hide, seeks no dark retreat. As Dylan Thomas wrote: “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light”.

To the poet: Using the strictest of interpretations not a perfect sonnet. Yet, it works in many ways as a sonnet was meant. A compact, neat carriage of verse; internally strong with structure and substance. Truth and beauty, revealed in the first two lines, are separately expanded in the following six lines. The next four lines add a touch intrigue… is the poem erotic; surely not? And then, for summary’s sake, the final couplet draws together a lasting glimpse, a concluding essence that invites a second read.

bright source