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. Sonnet 62 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye, 02. And all my soul, and all my every part; 03. And for this sin there is no remedy, 04. It is so grounded inward in my heart. 05. Methinks no face so gracious is as mine, 06. No shape so true, no truth of such account, 07. And for myself mine own worth do define, 08. As I all other in all worths surmount. 09. But when my glass shows me myself indeed, 10. Beated and chopped with tanned antiquity, 11. Mine own self love quite contrary I read: 12. "Self, so self-loving were iniquity. 13. 'Tis thee (my self) that for myself I praise, 14. Painting my age with beauty of thy days." |
. Sonnet 62 . (paraphrased) 01. The sin of vanity has taken hold of my eyes, 02. And my entire soul, and all of me in every part, 03. And for that sin, there is no absolution, 04. It is so deep-seated inside me, all the way to my heart. 05. I think there's no face so good to look at, as mine, 06. No form so ideal, no character of such value, 07. And for myself, my own worth sets the standard, 08. As I think I exceed everybody else in every quality. 09. But when my mirror shows me how I really look - 10. Weatherbeaten, my skin lined and tanned with age - 11. I see my vanity from another point of view, and I understand: 12. "Self, such self-love would be wicked (except,) 13. It's you, (my other self, my dear friend,) for whom I praise myself; 14. I'm beautifying myself, at my age, by imagining that I'm young, handsome you." |
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Sonnet 62 Gloss
L1: self-love = vanity; pride. (Note, to the right.) L3: remedy = absolution. L4: grounded = deep rooted; deep-seated. L5: gracious = pleasant to look upon. L6: true = ideal. True to the ideal of what a human form ought to be. L6: truth = essential nature. Character; mettle. Very roughly, "personality." L6: account = value. L7: define = set the standard. L8: worths = qualities. L8: surmount = exceed. L9: glass = mirror. L10: Beated and chopped = weatherbeaten and chapped. (Note, to the right.) L11: read = understand. Line 12 and onward is something the Poet says to himself. L12: so = such. L13: (my self) = my second self. "My dear friend." From the old saying that a close friend is a second self, or another self. L14: painting = beautifying. |
Sonnet 62 Notes
L1: self-love = vanity; pride. Pride, or vanity, is classed as one of the "seven deadly sins," the worst of them, and it is particularly associated with Lucifer. L10: Beated and chopped = weatherbeaten and chapped. The exact words "beated and chopped," as printed in the original, are probably jargon from the processing of leather (in advance of "tanned.") Most of the old jargon of the trades has been lost over the centuries. |
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