Read The Sonnets and Other Poems Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
The Sonnets and Other Poems (8 page)
Whereat each
tributary subject
1045
quakes,
As when the
wind, imprisoned in the ground
1046
,
Struggling for passage, earth’s foundation shakes,
Which with cold terror doth men’s minds
confound
1048
.
This mutiny each part doth so
surprise
1049
That from their dark beds once more leap her eyes,
And, being opened,
threw unwilling light
1051
Upon the wide wound that the boar had
trenched
1052
In his soft
flank
1053
, whose
wonted
lily white
With
purple
1054
tears, that his wound wept, had drenched.
No flower was nigh, no grass, herb, leaf or weed,
But stole
1056
his blood and seemed with him to bleed.
This solemn sympathy poor Venus noteth.
Over one shoulder doth she hang her head,
Dumbly she
passions
1059
, franticly she
doteth
,
She thinks he could not die, he is not dead:
Her voice is stopped, her joints forget to
bow
1061
,
Her eyes are mad that they have wept
till now
1062
.
Upon his hurt she looks so steadfastly
That her sight
dazzling
1064
makes the wound seem three,
And then she reprehends her
mangling
1065
eye
That makes more gashes where no breach should be:
His face seems twain, each
several
1067
limb is doubled,
For oft the eye mistakes, the brain being troubled.
‘My tongue cannot express my grief for one,
And yet’, quoth she, ‘behold two Adons dead!
My sighs are blown away, my salt tears gone,
Mine eyes are turned to fire, my heart to lead.
Heavy heart’s lead melt at mine eyes’ red fire!
So shall I die by drops of hot desire.
‘Alas, poor world, what treasure hast thou lost!
What face remains alive that’s worth the viewing?
Whose tongue is music now? What canst thou boast
Of things long since, or any thing ensuing?
The flowers are sweet, their colours fresh and
trim
1079
,
But true sweet beauty lived and died with him.
‘
Bonnet
1081
nor veil henceforth no creature wear!
Nor sun nor
1082
wind will ever strive to kiss you,
Having no
fair
1083
to lose, you need not fear:
The sun doth scorn you and the wind doth hiss you,
But when Adonis lived, sun and sharp air
Lurked like two thieves to rob him of his fair,
‘And therefore would he put his bonnet on,
Under whose brim the
gaudy
1088
sun would peep.
The wind would blow it off and, being gone,
Play with his locks, then would Adonis weep,
And
straight
1091
, in pity of his tender years,
They both would strive who first should dry his tears.
‘To see his face the lion walked along
Behind some hedge because he
would not fear
1094
him.
To recreate himself when he hath sung
1095
,
The tiger would be tame and gently hear him.
If he had spoke, the wolf would leave his prey
And never fright the
silly
1098
lamb that day.
‘When he beheld his
shadow
1099
in the brook,
The fishes spread on it their golden gills,
When he was
by
1101
, the birds such pleasure took
That some would sing, some other in their bills
Would bring him mulberries and ripe red cherries:
He fed them with his sight, they him with berries.
‘But this
foul, grim
1105
and
urchin-snouted
boar,
Whose
downward
1106
eye
still
looketh for a grave,
Ne’er saw the
beauteous livery
1107
that he wore:
Witness the entertainment that he gave.
If he did see his face, why then I know
He thought to kiss him and hath killed him so.
‘ ’Tis true, ’tis true! Thus was Adonis slain:
He ran upon the boar with his sharp spear,
Who did not
whet
1113
his teeth at him
again
But by a kiss thought to
persuade him there
1114
,
And,
nuzzling
1115
in his flank, the loving swine
Sheathed unaware the tusk in his soft groin.
‘Had I been toothed like him, I must confess,
With kissing him I should have killed him first,
But he is dead and never did he
bless
My youth with his
1119
— the more am I accurst.’
With this, she falleth in the place she stood
And stains her face with his congealèd blood.
She looks upon his lips and they are pale,
She takes him by the hand and that is cold
She whispers in his ears a heavy tale,
As if they heard the woeful words she told.
She lifts the
coffer
1127
-
lids
that close his eyes,
Where, lo, two lamps burnt out in darkness lies:
Two
glasses
1129
, where herself herself beheld
A thousand times and now no more reflect,
Their
virtue
1131
lost wherein they late excelled,
And every beauty robbed of
his
1132
effect.
‘Wonder of time,’ quoth she, ‘this is my spite,
That, thou being dead, the day should yet be light.
‘Since thou art dead, lo, here I prophesy
Sorrow on love hereafter shall attend:
It shall be waited on with jealousy,
Find sweet beginning but unsavoury end,
Ne’er settled equally, but high or low
1139
,
That all love’s pleasure shall not match his woe.
‘It shall be fickle, false and full of fraud,
Bud and be
blasted
1142
in
a breathing while
,
The bottom poison and the top
o’erstrawed
1143
With
sweets
1144
that shall the truest sight
beguile
:
The strongest body shall it make most weak,
Strike the wise dumb and teach the fool to speak.
‘It shall be
sparing
1147
and too full of
riot
,
Teaching decrepit age to
tread the measures
1148
.
The
staring
1149
ruffian shall it keep in quiet,
Pluck down the rich, enrich the poor with treasures.
It shall be raging mad and
silly
1151
mild,
Make the young old, the old become a child.
‘It shall suspect
where is
1153
no cause of fear,
It shall not fear where it should most mistrust,
It shall be merciful and too severe,
And most deceiving when it seems most
just
1156
,
Perverse
1157
it shall be where it
shows most toward
,
Put fear
to
1158
valour, courage to the coward.
‘It shall be cause of war and dire events
And set dissension ’twixt the son and
sire
1160
,
Subject and servile to all
discontents
1161
,
As dry
combustious
1162
matter is to fire:
Sith
1163
in his prime death doth my love destroy,
They that love best their loves shall not enjoy.’
By this, the boy that by her side lay killed
Was melted like a vapour from her sight,
And in his blood that on the ground lay spilled,
A
purple
1168
flower sprung up, chequered with white,
Resembling well his pale cheeks and the blood
Which in round drops upon their whiteness stood.
She bows her head, the new-sprung flower to smell,
Comparing it to her Adonis’ breath,
And says within her bosom it shall dwell,
Since he himself is
reft
1174
from her by death.
She crops the stalk and in the
breach
1175
appears
Green dropping sap, which she compares to tears.
‘Poor flower,’ quoth she, ‘this was thy father’s
guise
1177
,
Sweet
issue
1178
of a more sweet-smelling sire,
For every little grief to wet his eyes.
To
grow unto himself
1180
was his desire,
And so ’tis thine: but know, it is as good
To wither in my breast as in his blood.
‘Here was thy father’s bed, here in my breast,
Thou art the
next of blood
1184
, and ’tis thy right.
Lo, in this
hollow cradle
1185
take thy rest,
My throbbing heart shall rock thee day and night.
There shall not be one minute in an hour
Wherein I will not kiss my sweet love’s flower.’
Thus weary of the world, away she
hies
1189
And yokes her silver doves, by whose swift aid
Their mistress, mounted, through the empty skies
In her light chariot quickly is conveyed,
Holding their course to
Paphos
1193
, where their queen
Means to
immure
1194
herself and not be seen.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY WRIOTHESLEY,
Earl of Southampton and Baron of Titchfield
The
love
I dedicate to your lordship is without end: whereof this
pamphlet
without beginning
is but a superfluous
moiety
. The
warrant
I have of your honourable disposition, not the worth of my untutored lines, makes it assured of acceptance.
What I have done
is yours,
what I have to do
is yours,
being
part in all I have, devoted yours. Were
my worth greater
, my duty would show greater: meantime, as it is, it is bound to your lordship, to whom I wish long life still lengthened with all happiness.
Your lordship’s in all duty,
William Shakespeare
ARGUMENT
Lucius Tarquinius
(for his excessive pride surnamed
Superbus
) after he had caused his own father-in-law,
Servius Tullius
, to be cruelly murdered and, contrary to the Roman laws and customs, not
requiring or staying
for the people’s
suffrages
, had possessed himself of the kingdom, went, accompanied with his sons and other noblemen of Rome, to besiege
Ardea
. During which siege the principal men of the army meeting one evening at the tent of Sextus Tarquinius, the king’s son, in their discourses after supper every one commended the virtues of his own wife: among whom Collatinus extolled the incomparable chastity of his wife Lucretia. In that pleasant
humour
they
posted
to Rome, and intending by their secret and sudden arrival to
make trial of
that which every one had before
avouched
, only Collatinus finds his wife, though it were late in the night, spinning amongst her maids: the other ladies were all found dancing and revelling or in
several disports
, whereupon the noblemen yielded Collatinus the victory and his wife the fame. At that time Sextus Tarquinius, being inflamed with Lucrece’ beauty yet smothering his passions for the present, departed with the rest back to the camp, from whence he shortly after
privily
withdrew himself and was,
according to his estate
, royally entertained and lodged by Lucrece at
Collatium
. The same night he treacherously stealeth into her chamber, violently
ravished
her and early in the morning speedeth away. Lucrece, in this lamentable plight, hastily dispatcheth messengers, one to Rome for her father, another to the camp for Collatine. They came, the one accompanied with Junius Brutus, the other with Publius Valerius, and, finding Lucrece attired in mourning
habit
, demanded the cause of her sorrow. She, first taking an oath of them for her revenge, revealed the
actor
and whole manner of his
dealing
and
withal
suddenly stabbed herself. Which done, with one consent they all vowed to root out the whole hated family of the Tarquins, and bearing the dead body to Rome, Brutus acquainted the people with the doer and manner of the vile deed with a bitter invective against the tyranny of the king:
wherewith
the people were so moved that, with one consent and a general acclamation, the Tarquins were all exiled and the state government changed from kings to consuls.
From the besiegèd Ardea all in
post
1
,
Borne by the
trustless
2
wings of
false
desire,
Lust-breathèd
3
Tarquin leaves the Roman
host
And to Collatium bears the
lightless
4
fire
Which, in pale embers hid, lurks to
aspire
5
And
girdle
6
with embracing flames the waist
Of Collatine’s fair love, Lucrece the chaste.
Haply
8
that name of ‘chaste’
unhapp’ly
set
This
bateless
9
edge on his
keen
appetite,
When Collatine unwisely did not
let
10
To praise the clear unmatchèd
red and white
11
,
Which
triumphed in that sky of his delight
12
,
Where
mortal stars
13
, as bright as heaven’s beauties,
With pure
aspects
14
did him
peculiar duties
.
For he the night before in Tarquin’s tent
Unlocked the treasure of his happy state:
What priceless wealth the heavens had him lent
In the possession of his beauteous mate,
Reck’ning his fortune at such high
proud rate
19
That kings might be
espousèd
20
to more fame,
But
21
king nor peer to such a
peerless
dame.
O, happiness enjoyed but
of
22
a few
And, if possessed, as soon decayed and
done
23
As is the morning’s silver-melting dew
Against
25
the golden splendour of the sun,
An
expired date, cancelled ere well begun
26
.
Honour and beauty in the owner’s arms
Are weakly
fortressed
28
from a world of harms.
Beauty itself doth
of
29
itself persuade
The eyes of men without an orator:
What needeth then
apology
31
be made
To set forth that which is so
singular
32
?
Or why is Collatine the
publisher
33
Of that rich jewel he should keep unknown
From thievish ears because it is his own?
Perchance
36
his boast of Lucrece’
sov’reignty
Suggested
37
this
proud
issue
of a king,
For by our ears our hearts oft tainted be.
Perchance that envy of so rich a thing,
Braving compare
40
, disdainfully did sting
His
high-pitched
41
thoughts that
meaner
men should
vaunt
That golden
hap
42
which their superiors
want
.
But some
untimely
43
thought did instigate
His
all-too-timeless
44
speed, if none of those:
His honour, his affairs, his friends, his
state
45
,
Neglected all,
with swift intent
46
he goes
To quench the coal which in his
liver
47
glows.
O rash false
heat
48
, wrapped in repentant cold,
Thy hasty spring
still blasts
49
and ne’er grows old!
When at Collatium this false lord arrived,
Well was he welcomed by the Roman dame,
Within whose face Beauty and Virtue strived
Which of them both should
underprop
53
her fame.
When Virtue bragged, Beauty would blush for shame,
When Beauty boasted blushes, in
despite
55
Virtue would stain that o’er with silver white.
But Beauty,
in that white intitulèd
57
,
From
Venus’ doves
58
doth challenge that
fair
field
.
Then
Virtue claims from Beauty Beauty’s red
59
,
Which Virtue gave the
golden age
60
to
gild
Their silver cheeks and called it then their
shield
61
,
Teaching them thus to use it in the fight:
When shame
assailed
63
, the red should
fence
the white.
This
heraldry
64
in Lucrece’ face was seen,
Argued
65
by Beauty’s red and Virtue’s white:
Of either’s colour was the other queen,
Proving from
world’s minority
67
their right.
Yet their ambition makes them
still
68
to fight,
The sov’reignty of either being so great
That oft they interchange each other’s
seat
70
.
This silent war of lilies and of roses,
Which Tarquin viewed in her fair face’s field,
In their pure ranks his
traitor eye encloses
73
,
Where, lest between them both it should be killed,
The coward captive vanquishèd doth yield
To those two armies that would let him go
Rather than triumph
in
77
so false a foe.
Now thinks he that her husband’s shallow tongue,
The
niggard prodigal
79
that praised her so,
In that high task hath done her beauty wrong,
Which far exceeds his barren skill to show.
Therefore that praise, which Collatine
doth owe
82
,
Enchanted Tarquin
answers
83
with
surmise
,
In silent wonder of
still-gazing
84
eyes.
This earthly saint, adorèd by this devil,
Little suspecteth the false worshipper:
For unstained thoughts do seldom dream on evil.
Birds never
limed
88
no
secret
bushes fear:
So guiltless she
securely
89
gives good
cheer
And
reverend
90
welcome to her princely guest,
Whose inward ill no outward harm expressed.
For
that
92
he
coloured
with his high estate,
Hiding base sin in
pleats
93
of majesty,
That
94
nothing in him seemed
inordinate
,
Save sometime too much wonder of his eye,
Which, having all, all could not satisfy;
But, poorly rich,
so wanteth in his store
97
That, cloyed with much, he
pineth
98
still for more.
But she that never
coped
99
with
stranger
eyes
Could pick no meaning from their
parling
100
looks,
Nor read the
subtle shining secrecies
101
Writ in the glassy
margents
102
of such books:
She
touched no
103
unknown baits, nor feared no hooks,
Nor could she
moralize
104
his
wanton sight
More than his eyes were opened to the light
105
.
He
stories
106
to her ears her husband’s fame,
Won in the fields of fruitful Italy,
And
decks
108
with praises Collatine’s high name,
Made glorious by his manly chivalry
With
bruisèd arms
110
and wreaths of victory.
Her joy with
heaved-up
111
hand she doth express,
And wordless so
greets
112
heaven for his success.
Far from the purpose of his coming thither,
He makes excuses for his being there.
No cloudy show of stormy blust’ring weather
Doth yet in his
fair
116
welkin
once appear
Till
sable
117
night, mother of dread and fear,
Upon the world dim darkness doth display
And in her
vaulty
119
prison
stows
the day.
For then is Tarquin brought unto his bed,
Intending
121
weariness with
heavy sprite
,
For after supper long he
questionèd
122
With modest Lucrece and
wore out
123
the night.
Now leaden slumber with life’s strength doth fight
And everyone
to rest themselves betake
125
,
Save thieves and
cares
126
and troubled minds that wake.
As one of which doth Tarquin lie
revolving
127
The
sundry
128
dangers
of his will’s obtaining
,
Yet ever to obtain his will resolving,
Though
weak-built hopes
130
persuade him to abstaining:
Despair to gain doth
traffic oft for gaining
131
And when great
treasure
132
is the
meed
proposed,
Though death be
adjunct
133
, there’s no death
supposed
.
Those that much covet are with gain so
fond
134
That what they have not, that which they possess
They scatter and unloose it from their bond
135
,
And so by
hoping
137
more they have but less,
Or gaining more, the profit of excess
Is but to
surfeit
139
, and such griefs
sustain
That they prove bankrupt in this poor rich gain.
The aim of all is but to nurse the life
With honour, wealth and ease in waning age,
And in this aim there is such thwarting strife,
That
one for all or all for one we gage
144
:
As
145
life for honour in
fell
battle’s rage,
Honour for wealth and oft that wealth doth cost
The death of all and all together lost.
So that in
vent’ring ill
148
, we
leave
to be
The things we are for that which we
expect
149
:
And this ambitious foul
infirmity
150
,
In having much, torments us with
defect
151
Of that we have: so then we do neglect
The thing we have and, all for want of
wit
153
,
Make something nothing by
augmenting
154
it.
Such
hazard
155
now must
doting
Tarquin make,
Pawning his honour to obtain his lust,
And for himself himself he must
forsake
157
.
Then where is truth, if there be no self-trust?
When shall he think to find a stranger just,
When he himself himself
confounds
160
, betrays
To sland’rous tongues and wretched hateful days?
