Sonnet notes 21

Sonnet 78, line 3: “As every Alien pen hath got my use”

The poet is complaining. He has competition. His poetry has done so well with the Young Man as his muse, that every Tom, Dick, and Harry has gotten the idea that they can write beautiful poetry about him, too. But they are all strangers, he says. This is the import of the noun “alien,” as used by Shakespeare and although here it is used as an adjective, it has the force of a noun: “the pen of aliens, stranger’s pens, or strange, unknown poets.” And it’s italicized and capitalized in the original. Was this Shakespeare’s choice or the compositor’s? It’s impossible to say, but there are very few words that are given this emphasis in The Sonnets. If we exclude classical references (Adonis, Helen, Grecian, Mars, Eve, Saturn, Philomel, Cupid, Dyan) and the puns on Will (10 times in Sonnets 135, 136 and 143), the only others are rose (only in Sonnet 1), audit in Sonnets 4 and 126 (but not Sonnet 49), hues (Sonnet 20), statues (Sonnet 55), interim (Sonnet 56), autumn (Sonnet 104), abysm (Sonnet 112), alchemy (Sonnet 114), heretic (Sonnet 124) and quietus (Sonnet 126). All of these seem to be good choices, although statues, interim, and autumn don’t seem so much more important than many other words that are not italicized. But alien does deserve the emphasis. Why should the Young Man pay any attention to a stranger’s verses? What do they mean to him? They’re just window dressing. Our poet’s verses are different. He knows the Young Man. He loves him. That should make a difference. Shouldn’t it?