Sonnet 18

Sonnet 18

by: H huke1025
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Author: Unknown

1.Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

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The poet asks if he should compare his friend to the beauty of a summer day. He wonders if summer is the best way to describe such grace. 'Thee' is an archaic word for 'you'.

2.Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

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The poet decides his friend is actually more beautiful and more constant than a summer day. 'Thou art' means 'you are', and 'temperate' means 'mild, gentle, or balanced'.

3.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

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Summer isn't perfect because strong winds can blow away the beautiful young flower buds in springtime. Even May can be a bit harsh sometimes.

4.And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

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Summer does not last long enough; it is like a house that is only rented for a very short time. 'Hath' is an old word for 'has'.

5.Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

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Sometimes the sun is far too hot and uncomfortable. In poetry, the 'eye of heaven' is a beautiful way to describe the sun.

6.And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

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Other times, clouds cover the sun and make the day look gray and gloomy. 'Complexion' here refers to the appearance or face of the sun.

7.And every fair from fair sometime declines,

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Everything that is beautiful eventually loses its beauty over time. 'Fair' is used here to mean 'a beautiful thing' and 'beauty' itself.

8.By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

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Beauty is lost either by accident or by the natural process of getting older. 'Untrimm'd' means to be stripped of beauty or decorations.

9.But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

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However, the poet promises that his friend's beauty—his 'eternal summer'—will never go away or grow old. 'Thy' means 'your'.

10.Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

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The friend will never lose the beauty that he owns. 'Owest' is an old way of saying 'own' or 'possess'.

11.Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

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Even Death won't be able to claim the friend, because he will live on forever. 'Wander'st' is a shortened version of 'wanderest' or 'wander'.

12.When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

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The poet is writing these lines of poetry to keep his friend's memory alive forever. As long as the poem exists, the friend 'grows' or lives in it.

13.So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

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As long as people are alive and able to read, this poem will continue to be shared and remembered through the ages.

14.So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Illustration for: So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

As long as the poem lives, it gives life to the friend. The beauty of the person is preserved forever in the words of the poet.

15.About the Author and Sonnet 18

Illustration for: About the Author and Sonnet 18

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright and poet. Sonnet 18 is one of his most famous works, written to celebrate the eternal nature of love and art over the fleeting beauty of nature.

English adult Literary Classics Love & KindnessDreams Aspiration

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