What do you think he meant in this?
CIX
O! never say that I was false of heart,
Though absence seem'd my flame to qualify,
As easy might I from my self depart
As from my soul which in thy breast doth lie:
That is my home of love: if I have ranged,
Like him that travels, I return again;
Just to the time, not with the time exchanged,
So that myself bring water for my stain.
Never believe though in my nature reigned,
All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood,
That it could so preposterously be stained,
To leave for nothing all thy sum of good;
For nothing this wide universe I call,
Save thou, my rose, in it thou art my all.
Here's my "translation":
CIX
O! never say that I was false of heart,
Though absence seem'd my flame to qualify,
-------Never say that I am false of heart
-------Though my absence may make me seem
---------to indicate that I'm less than comletely committed.
As easy might I from my self depart
As from my soul which in thy breast doth lie:
-------Leaving you - meaning your love - would be as hard
--------------as leaving myself
That is my home of love:
--------Your love is my real home.
if I have ranged,
Like him that travels, I return again;
Just to the time, not with the time exchanged,
So that myself bring water for my stain.
-------Sure, I go away, but like any traveler I come home,
-----------which means returning to you. And I come home
-----------in time to heal whatever damage my absence
-----------has done. (In other words, you'll never need
-----------anyone else to comfort you for my absence; I'll
-----------do that myself when I get home.)
Never believe though in my nature reigned,
All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood,
That it could so preposterously be stained,
To leave for nothing all thy sum of good;
--------Even if I had all the frailties (weaknesses) that are
-------------found in all kinds of people, I still could never
-------------be lame enough to even think of trading all the
-------------good things about you... in return for NOTHING.
For nothing this wide universe I call,
Save thou, my rose, in it thou art my all.
----------And NOTHING is exactly what I would have if I ever
--------------did leave you, because from my point of view the
--------------entire universe (minus you) is NOTHING, and
--------------you are my everything.