Internet Shakespeare Editions

About this text

  • Title: Shake-speares Sonnets (Quarto 1, 1609)
  • Editors: Hardy M. Cook, Ian Lancashire

  • Copyright Hardy M. Cook and Ian Lancashire. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editors: Hardy M. Cook, Ian Lancashire
    Peer Reviewed

    Shake-speares Sonnets (Quarto 1, 1609)

    SHAKE-SPEARES.

    Thy beautie, and thy yeares full well befits,
    For still temptation followes where thou art.
    605Gentle thou art, and therefore to be wonne,
    Beautious thou art, therefore to be assailed.
    And when a woman woes, what womans sonne,
    Will sourely leaue her till he haue preuailed.
    Aye me, but yet thou mighst my seate forbeare,
    610And chide thy beauty, and thy straying youth,
    Who lead thee in their ryot euen there
    Where thou art forst to breake a two-fold truth:
    Hers by thy beauty tempting her to thee,
    Thine by thy beautie beeing false to me.

    61542

    THat thou hast her it is not all my griefe,
    And yet it may be said I lou'd her deerely,
    That she hath thee is of my wayling cheefe,
    A losse in loue that touches me more neerely.
    620Louing offendors thus I will excuse yee,
    Thou doost loue her, because thou knowst I loue her,
    And for my sake euen so doth she abuse me,
    Suffring my friend for my sake to approoue her,
    If I loose thee, my losse is my loues gaine,
    625And loosing her, my friend hath found that losse,
    Both finde each other, and I loose both twaine,
    And both for my sake lay on me this crosse,
    But here's the ioy, my friend and I are one,
    Sweete flattery, then she loues but me alone.

    63043

    WHen most I winke then doe mine eyes best see,
    For all the day they view things vnrespected,
    But when I sleepe, in dreames they looke on thee,
    And darkely bright, are bright in darke directed.
    635Then thou whose shaddow shaddowes doth make bright,
    How would thy shadowes forme, forme happy show,
    To the cleere day with thy much cleerer light,
    When to vn-seeing eyes thy shade shines so?
    How