Sonnet 99

Estrangement and Return

Notes

TLN 1373archaic vocab
“The forward violet thus did I chide”
'Forward' here means bold, presumptuous, or premature. The violet has bloomed early and dared to smell sweet before earning the right -- its forwardness is an affront, which is why the poet 'chides' (scolds) it.
TLN 1375archaic vocab
“purple pride / Which on thy soft cheek for complexion dwells / In my love's veins thou hast too grossly dy'd”
'Purple pride' pairs the violet's vivid color with its arrogance: 'pride' means both splendor and presumption. 'Grossly dy'd' means clumsily or excessively stained -- the violet has soaked up the purple of the youth's veins (visible beneath pale skin) and overdone it, so its theft shows.
TLN 1379archaic vocab
“buds of marjoram had stol'n thy hair”
Marjoram is a fragrant herb with small, densely clustered buds and a soft, downy texture. The poet sees its buds as resembling the youth's hair in color and softness -- close enough that the plant must have stolen the look.
TLN 1384archaic vocab
“for his theft, in pride of all his growth / A vengeful canker eat him up to death”
A 'canker' is both a plant disease that rots and blackens the stems and buds of roses, and a caterpillar or grub that eats flowers from within. The triple-thieving rose -- which stole both colors and the youth's breath -- is destroyed at the height of its bloom as punishment. 'Pride of all his growth' means the peak or fullness of the plant's flowering.