Sonnet VII
In this poem, the narrator contemplates the arrival of his twenty-third birthday. He thinks about how his new age brings him closer to manhood. The speaker then thinks about the even passage of time that will eventually lead to his death and resolves to dedicate the remainder of his life to serving God and the will of heaven.
Sonnet XIX
Here, the narrator is contemplating his own blindness and how that blindness is preventing him from using his talent to serve God. He then has a conversation with a figure named "patience" who tells him that God already has many people to actively serve him, and that all the narrator needs to do to remain in God's good graces is wait for Him.
Sonnet to the Nightingale
In this sonnet, the narrator is addressing a nightingale through the literary technique of apostrophe. He comments on the nightingale's link to love and how its song foretells success in love. He asks the nightingale to sing in time for him, and claims that he serves Muse and Love, both of which could be the nightingale's mate.
