Summary

The poem begins with praise to Elizabeth, expressing the speaker's hope that this poem will not give offense. It recognizes the "care," the responsibilities of the royal state, that Elizabeth already faces, and hopes that the poem will be received in the spirit of admiration in which it is intended (1). She expresses hope that the poem will be well-received, attributing this to Elizabeth's goodness and kindness, but also to her remarkable energy in facing the travails of royal life. This, the speaker suggests, is not the most difficult time in Elizabeth's reign, though it is not an easy one, so the speaker can express her "dutie and goodwill" (17). She then refers to "the richer reft awaye" who could have better written this praise, a reference to her brother Philip Sidney (23). She speaks of their mutual poetic work, the psalms which he began translating from...