Re: Help settle a bet
I think you will be proven as the winner.
From what I read on Samuel Daniel, he composed a large number of sonnets to "Diana" as he was living in Italy. This sonnet (#1) was the first in the series of which later was collected into a book.
If Daniel is planning on leaving Diana, it would be odd to write another 30+ sonnets to her.
Okay: My interpretation of the poem is that he is reflecting back on a point in his youth and his relationship with the subject. He is at a place where he can finally understand his true feelings which have been revealed to him ("book unclasped").
It seems that he recognizes that previously, he was too coy about his feelings for the subject, and that he now is prepared to declare his love for her (or at least expand on that subject in the next 30+ sonnets!)
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