Go to the Sonnets INTRO page
|
|
|
Go to the LIST of Sonnets page
Go to the Sonnets INTRO page |
|
. Sonnet 2 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. When forty Winters shall beseige thy brow, 02. And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field, 03. Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now, 04. Will be a tatter'd weed of small worth held: 05. Then being asked where all thy beauty lies, 06. Where all the treasure of thy lusty days; 07. To say within thine own deep sunken eyes, 08. Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise. 09. How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use, 10. If thou couldst answer this fair child of mine 11. Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse 12. Proving his beauty by succession thine. 13. This were to be new made when thou art old, 14. And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold. |
. Sonnet 2 . (paraphrased) 01. After forty years of age have "attacked" your features, 02. And made deep lines in the skin of your handsome face, 03. The proud young beauty in which Nature has clothed you, so much admired now, 04. Will then be a tattered "costume," of little value. 05. Then, if you are asked where all your beauty has gone, and 06. Where is the valuable treasure buried, that was on display in your lusty youth, 07. If you say, "it's now buried behind my own deep-sunken eyes, in my own memory," 08. That would be an all-consuming shame, and a commendation without any benefit, since only you can see your memories. 09. The use of your beauty would earn so much more praise, 10. If you could answer, "this fair child I have 11. Restores the 'account balance,' of beauty, and excuses my being old and unattractive now - 12. Proving by his beauty that he's my successor, in more ways than one." 13. It would be like being newly remade, when you are old, 14. And you'd see your "own flesh and blood" warm, when you're "feeling the cold" of old age. |
|
Sonnet 2 Gloss
L3: livery = uniform. (Note, to the right.) L3: so gazed on now - (Note, to the right.) L4: weed = clothing; costume. The theatrical term "costume" is probably the best equivalent, since Shakespeare was mainly a playwright. L6: treasure = value; "treasure" of beauty. L6: lusty = lively; vigorous; energetic. L5 to L7 - (Note, to the right.) L8: all-eating = all consuming; self destructive. L8: thriftless = lacking benefit. A figure of speech from finance or economics. L9: deserved = would deserve; would earn. The word order of line 9 requires rearrangement for prose. L11: sum my count = make up for my loss. (Note, to the right.) L11: old excuse - (Note, to the right.) L12: succession - Has a double meaning, first, poetically, the succession of beauty, and second, there's reference to succession in fact, an heir. |
Sonnet 2 Notes
L3: livery = uniform. In Shakespeare's time, servants were uniformed in livery by their master, or mistress, to identify them. The idea here is that Mother Nature has given the addressee beautiful livery to wear, as her servant. L3: so gazed on now In addition to others looking at the addressee, it implies the addressee enjoying how he looks in the mirror. There's a Narcissus implication. The addressee's mirror image will be the "buried treasure" later, existing only deep in his own eyes. L5 to L7 There is the idea of "buried treasure" in lines 5 to 7, which it is necessary to make explicit in paraphrase. "Deep sunken eyes" are "buried" eyes, so to speak. What one sees in deep-sunken eyes are buried memories. L11: sum my count = make up for my loss. Means "reconcile my account balance," in financial terms. The idea is that as a young heir grows, his beauty would "balance" the addressee's loss of beauty, from aging. So it would all even out, and the total "beauty account" would "balance," so to speak. The heir would provide a gain, to compensate for the addressee's loss, of beauty. L11: old excuse The phrase is a poetic inversion. It means "excuse for being old." Secondarily, it implies that if he keeps "making excuses" for not getting married and raising a family, it will become an "old excuse" as the years go by. So, there's a double meaning to the phrase. |
| Go to: the LIST of Sonnets page -|- or -|- the Sonnets INTRO page | Back to: Sonnet 1 -|- or -|- Ahead to: Sonnet 3 |
|
Go to the |
The Shakespeare Sonnets, courtesy of:
|
See ALL the Sonnets on one long page. |