The
conceit of the poem is derived most nearly from
Petrarch; however, the idea of lovers who have in some sense exchanged souls is commonplace and proverbial. The connected theme—the speaker's unworthiness compared to his beloved—is likewise traditional. Line 7 has posed some problems.
Edward Dowden hypothesized that "for myself" meant "for my own satisfaction," and certain editors suggest that "do" be amended to "so." Consensus, however, has settled on some version of the gloss of
Nicolaus Delius: "I define my own worth for myself," with "do" as an intensifier. For "beated" in line 10,
Edmond Malone suggested "bated," and
George Steevens "blasted." Dowden speculated, without accepting, the possibility that "beated" referred to a process of
tanning;
John Shakespeare was a glover.
Stephen Booth notes that the use of "bating" in this sense is not attested before the nineteenth century.
Helen Vendler sees the speaker of the poem as harshly criticizing his own weakness and foolishness, but for most critics the poem is lighter in mood. Though it echoes other poems in the sequence which present the connections created by love as painful, in this poem, the presence of the beloved is comforting rather than terrifying. ==Interpretations==