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The iris may refer to the plant:
Or the part of the eye:
However, it most likely refers to the plant opening up.
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This line parallels Rimbaud and Verlaine’s first line:
Obscur et froncé comme un oeillet violet,
or, Hidden and wrinkled like a budding violet. (as translated by Paul Schmidt)
The immediate couplet rhyme, which is atypical for sonnets, casts the topic in a musical and lyrical light.
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Here we have a clothing simile, which we will see continued in a bit.
Here are a couple examples of eyelets:
In lace.
In a leather shoe.
You decide which is more appropriate. But the speaker clearly holds this topic something positive and admirable.
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This apostrophe is the shortest sentence in the sonnet, and it ends it with a punch.
He says that as long as his thoughts remain on these things, he may as well be that plant springing upon Christ.
And make a garland for his wounded brows. William Alabaster – Upon the Crucifix
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The speaker continues with what he’d like to do to Christ.
Again, this can be read as a gay love poem, even further removed: Not only is this poem directed at Christ instead of a lover, but it also uses a plant metaphor to make things lines like climb along upon his sacred breast seem innocuous.
He’d like to make a garland to replace the crown of thorns.
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Again, the speaker wants to kiss Christ (or a lover).
It is a Good Friday tradition to kiss Christ’s feet.
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The speaker is either saying that he would fasten himself about the flower (Christ).
Or he means that as he climbs up the flower, he would fall back down.
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He would either be ivy (above) or honeysuckle (below).
And as a plant might spring upon this flower; William Alabaster – Upon the Crucifix
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The speaker wishes that he were changed into a plant so he could spring on Christ, who he sees as a flower.
And let my lips from kissing not remove. William Alabaster – Upon the Crucifix
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The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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In these final commands, the speaker asks Christ to issue (or call forth) the speaker’s heart from Christ’s two-leaved door, or his lips.
So Christ would be calling his name while the speaker kisses his feet.
OR
If you interpret this is a gay love poem, the speaker is asking his lover to kiss him and by kissing him Issue my heart.
