Shake-speares Sonnets (Quarto 1, 1609)
Author: William ShakespeareEditors: Hardy M. Cook, Ian LancashirePeer Reviewed


¶I Grant thou wert not married to my Mu
se,
¶And therefore maie
st without attaint ore-looke
¶The dedicated words which writers v
se
¶Of their faire
subiect,
_ble
ssing euery booke.
1220Thou art as faire in knowledge as in hew,
¶Finding thy worth a limmit pa
st my prai
se,
¶And therefore art inforc'd to
seeke anew,
¶Some fre
sher
stampe of the time bettering dayes.
¶And do
so loue,
_yet when they haue deui
sde,
1225What
strained touches Rhethorick can lend,
¶Thou truly faire,
_wert truly
simpathizde,
¶In true plaine words,
_by thy true telling friend.
¶_And their gro
sse painting might be better v
s'd,
¶Where cheekes need blood,
_in thee it is abu
s'd.
¶I Neuer
saw that you did painting need,
¶And therefore to your faire no painting
set,
¶I found( or thought I found) you did exceed,
¶The barren tender of a Poets debt:
1235And therefore haue I
slept in your report,
¶That you your
selfe being extant well might
show,
¶How farre a moderne quill doth come to
short,
¶Speaking of worth,
_what worth in you doth grow,
¶This
silence for my
sinne you did impute,
1240Which
shall be mo
st my glory being dombe,
¶For I impaire not beautie being mute,
¶When others would giue life,
_and bring a tombe.
¶_There liues more life in one of your faire eyes,
¶Then both your Poets can in prai
se deui
se.
¶WHo is it that
sayes mo
st,
_which can
say more,
¶Then this rich prai
se,
_that you alone,
_are you,
¶In who
se confine immured is the
store,
¶Which
should example where your equall grew,
1250Leane penurie within that Pen doth dwell,
¶That to his
subiect lends not
some
small glory,
¶But he that writes of you,
_if he can tell,
¶That you are you,
_so dignifies his
story.
¶Let him but coppy what in you is writ,
1255Not making wor
se what nature made
so cleere,
¶And
such a counter-part
shall fame his wit,
¶Making his
stile admired euery where.
¶_You to your beautious ble
ssings adde a cur
se,
¶Being fond on prai
se,
_which makes your prai
ses wor
se.

