‘ M Y   G A L L E Y,   C H A R G È D   W I T H   F O R G E T F U L N E S S ’¹

My galley,º chargèdº with forgetfulness,² shipladen
Thoroughº sharp seas in winter nights doth pass through
’Tween rock and rock;³ and ekeº mine enemy,⁴ alas, also
That is my lord, steereth with cruëlness;
And every oar⁵ a thought in readiness,
As though that death were light in such a case.
An endless wind doth tear the sail apace
Of forcèd sighs and trusty fearfulness.
A rain of tears, a cloud of dark disdain,
Hath done the wearied cordsº great hinderance, ropes
Wreathèd with error and ekeº with ignorance. also
The stars⁶ be hid that led me to this pain.
Drownèd is Reason that should me comfort,
And I remain despairing of the port.

1. This sonnet is derived from Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374)'s sonnet 189, "Passa la nave mia colma d'oblio" ("My ship sails freighted with oblivion"), which makes use of the same metaphor.
2. forgetfulness: abstractedness such as that accompanying a lovelorn condition.
3. rock and rock: In sonnet 189 (see footnote 1), Petrarch refers to "Scilla e Cariddi," in English Scylla and Charybdis, who were mythical monsters that characterized respectively a rock and a whirpool that threatened ancient sailors in the Straits of Messina. "Between Scylla and Charybdis" is similar to our expression "Between a rock and a hard place."
4. enemy: Cupid.
5. oar: Wyatt may also be punning on "hour."
6. stars: Stars are important to nautical navigation; but the word also refers to the eyes of the beloved.