1 How careful was I when I took my way,
How cautious I was on my journey, I was so careful when I left, i was so careful
2 Each trifle under truest bars to thrust,
Locking every trinket behind the strongest bars, I locked every little thing away under the strongest locks, locked everything up tight 'Trifle' suggests worthlessness; 'truest bars' emphasizes absolute security.
3 That to my use it might unused stay
So it would remain untouched and preserved, so nothing would be touched or worn out, kept unused to stay perfect Paradoxically, the locked thing stays 'unused' to preserve it—protection requires abstention.
4 From hands of falsehood, in sure wards of trust!
From thieving hands, in secure custody! safe from any thief, locked in a trusted vault! protected by trust 'Falsehood' = dishonesty/thievery; 'wards' = guardianship, custody.
5 But thou, to whom my jewels trifles are,
But you, to whom my jewels are mere trifles, but you—compared to you, my jewels are nothing, but you're worth more than all that The reversal: what the speaker locked away with such care is nothing compared to the beloved.
6 Most worthy comfort, now my greatest grief,
Most worthy of comfort, now my deepest grief, my greatest prize and my greatest pain, my joy and my sorrow The beloved is paradoxically both 'comfort' and 'grief'—the source of both happiness and suffering through absence.
7 Thou best of dearest, and mine only care,
You, most precious and my only concern, you, the most valuable thing, the only thing I care about, you're all i care about 'Best of dearest' elevates the beloved above all else; 'only care' means sole object of attention and protection.
8 Art left the prey of every vulgar thief.
Are left defenseless to any common thief, are left completely unprotected for any thief to steal, defenseless to anyone 'Vulgar' = common, lowly; the irony is that the most precious thing has the least protection.
Volta The volta shifts from describing careful protection of material goods to the paradox that the beloved cannot be similarly guarded, leaving them vulnerable.
9 Thee have I not locked up in any chest,
You I have not locked away in any box, I can't lock you up in a chest, can't lock you away The volta: material treasures can be locked, but the beloved cannot be secured this way.
10 Save where thou art not, though I feel thou art,
Except where you are not, though I sense you are, except in the place you're not in, yet I feel you there, you're everywhere i feel you Paradox: the beloved can only be 'locked' in the heart, where they exist spiritually but not physically. 'Feel' suggests emotional rather than literal presence.
11 Within the gentle closure of my breast,
Within the tender enclosure of my heart, locked in the soft sanctuary of my heart, held in my heart 'Gentle closure' is more tender than the 'truest bars' of line 2—this lock is made of love, not steel.
12 From whence at pleasure thou mayst come and part,
From which you may come and go as you wish, from where you can leave whenever you want, you're free to go The beloved is not truly imprisoned in the speaker's heart—freedom of movement is allowed, hinting at the fragility of this 'protection.'
13 And even thence thou wilt be stol’n I fear,
And even from there you will be stolen, I fear, and yet I fear even from my heart you'll be taken, i'm afraid you'll be stolen from me 'Stol'n' = stolen; the fear is that time, absence, or the beloved's changing heart will thieve even this interior presence.
14 For truth proves thievish for a prize so dear.
Because even truth itself becomes a thief when the prize is so precious. because nothing—not even loyalty—can protect something this valuable. even truth will betray love 'Truth proves thievish' = even truth/fidelity can become treacherous when the cost is the beloved. The couplet suggests loss is inevitable when love is this intense.