Sonnet XIII: Phoebus Was Judge

Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)



Phoebus was judge between Jove, Mars, and Love,
Of those three gods, whose arms the fairest were:
Jove's golden shield did eagle sables bear,
Whose talons held young Ganymede above:

But in vert field Mars bare a golden spear,
Which through a bleeding heart his point did shove:
Each had his crest; Mars carried Venus' glove,
Jove in his helm the thunderbolt did rear.

Cupid them smiles, for on his crest there lies
Stella's fair hair, her face he makes his shield,
Where roses gules are borne in silver field.

Phoebus drew wide the curtains of the skies
To blaze these last, and sware devoutly then,
The first, thus match'd, were scantly gentlemen.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

35 sec read
115

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXXA BAAB CDD CXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 656
Words 115
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3

Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. more…

All Sir Philip Sidney poems | Sir Philip Sidney Books

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    "Sonnet XIII: Phoebus Was Judge" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35358/sonnet-xiii:-phoebus-was-judge>.

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