Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’
Study notes in a reading layout. Choose the text size and page colour that work for you.
What happens?
Thoughts of the beloved become so abundant that the speaker calls for real presence.
The main idea
Imagination nourishes love but must give way when it conceals the real person it desires.
1. “my thoughts do twine and bud”
Method: Extended plant metaphor
Thoughts grow vigorously, but their abundance risks concealing the beloved’s distinct reality.
2. “I will not have my thoughts instead of thee”
Method: Early argumentative turn
The refusal redirects the poem away from imagining the beloved and towards a real encounter.
3. “Renew thy presence;”
Method: Imperative
The speaker actively asks for the beloved’s return.
4. “I am too near thee.”
Method: Reversal
The final intimacy transforms the meaning of the opening declaration.
Form and structure
A 14-line Petrarchan sonnet with an early argumentative turn and an extended plant metaphor.
Development, voice and tone
Thoughts grow — Exuberant. The speaker’s imagining spreads so vigorously that it begins to hide its object.
Turn towards presence — Urgent and commanding. A qualification redirects the poem from fantasy towards an encounter.
Final closeness — Joyful. Physical presence makes the opening activity of imagining unnecessary.
Context
From Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), the poem gives a woman an assertive voice in the expression of desire.
Comparison links
Love’s Philosophy: desire for closeness. Letters From Yorkshire: connection across distance.
Recall question
Why does the speaker want thoughts to give way to presence?