My love is strengthened, though more weak in seeming;
I love not less, though less the show appear;
That love is merchandized, whose rich esteeming,
The owner’s tongue doth publish every where.
Our love was new, and then but in the spring,
When I was wont to greet it with my lays;
As Philomel in summer’s front doth sing,
And stops his pipe in growth of riper days:
Not that the summer is less pleasant now
Than when her mournful hymns did hush the night,
But that wild music burthens every bough,
And sweets grown common lose their dear delight.
Therefore like her, I sometime hold my tongue:
Because I would not dull you with my song.
My love is strengthen’d, though more weak in seeming; I love not less, though less the show appear: That love is merchandized whose rich esteeming The owner’s tongue doth publish every where.
The poet seems to be talking about how their love is stronger than it seems from the first two lines. From the third and fourth line, it seems as if the poet thinks that if they shall sell their love and broadcast how he loves richly, then the rarity or speciality of the love is lost, becomes common love. This is shown by “publish every where”.
Our love was new and then but in the spring When I was wont to greet it with my lays, As Philomel in summer’s front doth sing And stops her pipe in growth of riper days.
The poet is saying that they were newly in love when they were wont (in the habit of) in his ‘lays’ which I think he may mean as what he writes down, which are poems. Some reference here as to ‘Philomel’. I guessed that Philomel is a singer, and they sing in early summer and stop singing as the summer progresses, shown by ‘growth of riper days’.
Not that the summer is less pleasant now Than when her mournful hymns did hush the night, But that wild music burthens every bough And sweets grown common lose their dear delight.
The poet is telling the reader or whoever he is talking to that the summer is still pleasant, but more pleasant with Philomel’s ‘hymns’ or singing I think what the poet is trying to say is that ‘wild’ music or common music loses its delight, compared to who the poet is referring to as ‘Philomel’. This is shown by ‘sweets grown common lose their dear delight’.
Therefore like her I sometime hold my tongue, Because I would not dull you with my song.
Here, the poet is seemingly explaining why they stay quiet (“hold my tongue”), so that their ‘song’ or ‘poem’ would not become common, like the ‘wild’ music. He wants his love and songs to be like ‘Philomel’ who rarely shows their talent or skills.
