THE MINSTREL                                                                                                                                THE BLABBERMOUTH

THE MAKING OF A SONNET

Steps:

1) Brainstorming:

Theme: sin, especially lust.

Words related: sinful; lust; sloth; greed; (to) sin; (to) fall into disgrace; anger; (to) be condemned; sinner; (to) die; heaven; hell; poison; blood; sacrifice; pain; war; faith; God; gods; guilt; salvation; lies; swear; desire ...

2) New words and synonyms using a dictionary:

Lust -> lustful; condemnation/damnation; (to) be condemned/damned/doomed; guilt/remorse/shame; the devil; malevolent; (to) sink in sin; lies/deceits; delight; painful; wounds; (to) heal.

Expressions: (to) cast a spell upon somebody ("lanzar un hechizo a alguien"); (to) strike a chord ("calar hondo"); (to) be done ("estar acabado/a").

Image of the eyes: murderous glance; violent eyes; (to) drill for ("perforar en busca de"); gaze; stare; glimpse; sight.  

3) Structure:

First two quatrains: The woman wants the man to sin (lust). She controls the situation.

Third quatrain: The man ultimately falls to the woman's intentions.

Couplet: Conclusion: she has no remorse; he feels guilty.

4) Title: His Whim ("capricho"). This title probably emphasises the man's guilt.

5) Rhetoric figures (NOTE: this was written after composing the sonnet):

Hiperbaton: lines 1, 2, 7.

Rhetoric question: lines 3 & 4.

Metaphor: line 4 ("the blood in her veins is the owner of sin").

Alliteration: line 5 ("His hands her handcuffs") [notice the ellipsis], line 13 ("She, without shame").

Personification: line 6 ("her murderous eyes had weakened his will"), line 7 ([her gaze] "for words did it drill"), line 9 ("asserted her sight"), line 10 ("lied sinful his stare").

Oximoron: line 8 ("a deafening calm"), line 12 ("the sweet gates of hell").

Rhyme: abba cddc effe gg

THE SONNET:

HIS WHIM

A lustful desire she cast upon him:

Just one single drop of her poison was poured.

But how could he stop her from striking a chord

when the blood in her veins is the owner of sin?

His hands her handcuffs, but she needed no aid, 

'cause her murderous eyes had weakened his will;

her gaze full of sin, for words did it drill

and a deafening calm was suddenly made.

'You're utterly done', asserted her sight.

'Won't sink in this sea', lied sinful his stare.

Tho' it was too late for himself to swear:

The sweet gates of hell enclosed their delight.

She, without shame, does not know her name.

Me, I am doomed; my pain is her aim.