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. Sonnet 43 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. When most I wink then do mine eyes best see, 02. For all the day they view things unrespected, 03. But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee, 04. And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed. 05. Then thou whose shadow shadows doth make bright, 06. How would thy shadow's form, form happy show, 07. To the clear day with thy much clearer light, 08. When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so? 09. How would (I say) mine eyes be blessed made, 10. By looking on thee in the living day, 11. When in dead night their fair imperfect shade, 12. Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay? 13. All days are nights to see till I see thee, 14. And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me. |
. Sonnet 43 . (paraphrased) 01. When I close my eyes the most, is when my eyes see best, 02. For, all day my eyes view things that I don't admire. 03. But when I sleep, in dreams, my eyes look upon your image, 04. And despite the darkness, my eyes become bright, and are directed toward your brightness in the dark; 05. Then - you whose image makes the darkness bright - 06. (I dream about) how your image's real form would be a happy sight 07. In the clear daytime, (since to me you're a much more glowing light than the sun,) 08. When to my eyes, that don't even really see you, your image is so shining. 09. I say to myself - how my eyes would be graced, 10. By looking at the real you in the daytime, 11. When even in the dead of night, my eyes' "ghost" of you, lovely but not perfectly like you, 12. Stays before me, throughout my heavy sleep, although I really see nothing. 13. All my days are like empty nights, as I see them, till I see you again, 14. And my nights are like bright days - when my dreams show your image to me. |
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Sonnet 43 Gloss
L1: wink = close my eyes. L2: unrespected = unadmired, i.e. 'that I don't admire.' L4: darkly bright - The Poet's eyes are dark by being closed, but brightened by the image of the addressee. L4: (the second) bright = toward the brightness. L4: dark = the darkness. L5: shadow = image; 'ghost.' L5: shadows = the darkness. L6: (the first) form = body (the real person.) L6: (the second) form = make. L7: clear = cloudless, i.e. 'shadowless.' Sunny. L7: clearer = more glowing (than the sun, to the Poet.) L8: unseeing - Not seeing the real person. L8: shade = image; 'ghost.' L9: blessed made = graced. L10: living day - During daytime, living people are active, as opposed to nighttime ghosts. L11: dead night - Nighttime is poetically the "dead" time. L11: their = my eyes'. (Often gets changed to "thy" in modern reprints, which is wrong.) L11: fair = handsome; lovely. L11: imperfect shade - A "ghost" not exactly like the addressee. L12: sightless = not really seeing. L12: stay = dwell. (A meaning dictated in advance of Sonnet 55: "You live in this, and dwell in lover's eyes.") L13: to see = as I see them. |
Sonnet 43 Notes
William Shakespeare probably wrote Sonnet 43 about his wife. |
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