1 Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war,
My eye and heart are locked in deadly conflict, My eyes and heart can't stop fighting, my eye and heart are enemies
2 How to divide the conquest of thy sight,
Fighting over how to divide the prize of you, both trying to claim you—the whole picture of you, who owns you 'Sight' is ambiguous: the act of seeing and the visual image simultaneously.
3 Mine eye, my heart thy picture’s sight would bar,
My eye wants to shut my heart out of seeing your image, my eye keeps my heart from looking at your picture, my eye won't share you 'Bar' means to exclude; the eye claims monopoly on the visual/pictorial beloved.
4 My heart, mine eye the freedom of that right,
My heart denies my eye the right to claim you, my heart won't let my eye have its way, they deny each other's claim Each part of the speaker denies the other its 'right'—both are asserting claims of ownership.
5 My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie,
My heart argues that you dwell deep inside it, my heart claims you live in its depths, you belong in my heart The heart claims the beloved as interior, intimate presence—inward truth rather than outward show.
6 A closet never pierced with crystal eyes;
A private chamber that eyes can never enter, a locked room where vision can never reach, hidden where eyes can't see 'Closet' is a private chamber; 'crystal eyes' cannot pierce this interior space, suggesting emotional intimacy is invisible.
7 But the defendant doth that plea deny,
But the eye, as defendant, denies this argument, but my eye fights back and rejects this claim, the eye disagrees Eye is now cast as defendant; the legal metaphor hardens into courtroom drama.
8 And says in him thy fair appearance lies.
And says your beauty exists in what is visible, and says your loveliness belongs to what can be seen, beauty is what you see The eye counters with its own claim: beauty is visual, and therefore rightfully belongs to vision.
Volta The volta shifts from the eye-heart quarrel to the legal resolution: a jury of thoughts impanels to judge, creating a precedent-setting verdict.
9 To side this title is impanelled
To decide this claim, there is impaneled To settle this dispute, a jury is selected— so a jury decides 'Impanelled' refers to the formal process of assembling a jury.
10 A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart,
A jury of thoughts, all bound to the heart's command, my thoughts—who are really on the heart's side anyway, my thoughts serve the heart 'Quest' = jury; 'tenants' are feudal dependents, suggesting thoughts are bound to the heart's sovereignty.
11 And by their verdict is determined
And by their verdict is determined and through their judgment, it's decided: the verdict is given
12 The clear eye’s moiety, and the dear heart’s part.
The keen eye's share, and the precious heart's right. the eye gets its portion, and the heart gets its share. each gets what it deserves 'Moiety' = share/portion; the pun on 'clear' (bright, visually acute) and 'dear' (beloved, valued) elevates the heart subtly.
13 As thus, mine eye’s due is thy outward part,
Thus my eye's rightful claim is your outer form, so my eye owns what I can see of you, the eye gets your body
14 And my heart’s right, thy inward love of heart.
And my heart's rightful claim is your inner love. and my heart owns your true, inward self. the heart gets your soul The final 'heart' appears twice—the beloved's inward heart (love) and the speaker's own heart (the one making the claim). The repetition suggests alignment, intimacy.