Question

Rewrite this excerpt from Sidney’s Sonnet 16 in your own words.

And, Love, I thought that I was full of thee;
But finding not those restless flames in me,
Which others said did make their souls to pine,
I thought those babes of some pin's hurt did whine,

Answer 1

Answer: I thought I had experienced love

I didn't feel the strong passion that others described and that pained them to their souls

I thought they were just overly sensitive to a small source of pain

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Sonnet 16 is a sonnet from Astrophil and Stella, a sonnet cycle which includes 108 sonnets and 11 songs. Sonnet cycles contained linked sonnets that described rise and fall of a love relationship.

In Sonnet 16, Astrophil describes his perception of love before Stella. He was attracted to women before, but never experienced the pain of love, as he never truly loved a woman. He mocked other people who told him that they were suffering, convinced that they were weak.

A paraphrase of this sonnet:

I thought that I was full of love;

But I still haven't experienced the flames of love

That others complained about and suffered from,

I thought that they were weak and sensitive to a small source of pain.