1 The other two, slight air, and purging fire,
The other two, weightless air and cleansing fire, my breath and my passion—light and burning, the swift parts of me Refers back to Sonnet 44's four-element scheme. 'Purging' suggests fire's cleansing power; 'slight' emphasizes air's weightlessness.
2 Are both with thee, wherever I abide,
Are both with you, wherever I stay, they're always with you, no matter where I am, they're at your side even when i'm not
3 The first my thought, the other my desire,
The first is my thought, the other my longing, the air is my mind, the fire is my want, my thoughts and my hunger for you
4 These present-absent with swift motion slide.
These—present yet absent—glide swiftly away. they rush off to you even as they leave me empty, they're everywhere and nowhere at once 'Present-absent' captures the paradox: the speaker's thought and desire are physically absent but spiritually/emotionally present with the beloved.
5 For when these quicker elements are gone
For when these swift elements depart, When they leave—when my thought and desire race off, when they abandon me
6 In tender embassy of love to thee,
On a tender mission of love to you, on their loving errand to find you, they're messengers of my love 'Embassy' suggests formal diplomatic mission; thought and desire are love's official representatives.
7 My life being made of four, with two alone,
My life, composed of four elements, left with only two, I'm left with only half of what I need, i'm incomplete
8 Sinks down to death, oppressed with melancholy.
Sinks down toward death, crushed beneath melancholy. I collapse into a kind of death, overwhelmed by sadness. i feel like i'm dying
Volta The volta shifts from the speaker's degradation (sinking to death) to the return of the swift elements, restoring 'life's composition' and reversing the melancholy.
9 Until life’s composition be recured,
Until the balance of life is restored, until my missing pieces come back and I can breathe again, until i'm whole again 'Recured' (recovered/healed) suggests sickness as the condition of separation; restoration of the absent elements = health.
10 By those swift messengers returned from thee,
By those quick messengers returning from you, by my thoughts and desires coming back from you, when they come back from you
11 Who even but now come back again assured,
Who even now return again with confidence, who are rushing back right now full of reassurance, they come back with good news 'Assured' carries double meaning: the messengers are confident, and they reassure the speaker.
12 Of thy fair health, recounting it to me.
About your beautiful wellness, reporting it to me. telling me you're alive and well, you're okay
13 This told, I joy, but then no longer glad,
Hearing this, I feel joy, but it doesn't last, I'm thrilled for a moment, but the happiness is fleeting, joy fades too fast The volta's resolution is bittersweet: joy arrives but immediately gives way to new sorrow.
14 I send them back again and straight grow sad.
I send them back to you and immediately sink into sadness. I let them go back to you and fall straight back into misery. the cycle repeats The couplet reveals the cyclical nature of absence: each reunion is temporary; the messenger must depart again, and the speaker's melancholy is renewed.