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. Sonnet 68 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. Thus is his cheek the map of days out-worn, 02. When beauty liv'd and died as flowers do now, 03. Before these bastard signs of fair were born, 04. Or durst inhabit on a living brow; 05. Before the golden tresses of the dead, 06. The right of sepulchers, were shorn away, 07. To live a second life on second head, 08. Ere beauty's dead fleece made another gay; 09. In him those holy antique hours are seen, 10. Without all ornament, itself and true, 11. Making no summer of another's green, 12. Robbing no old to dress his beauty new, 13. And him as for a map doth Nature store, 14. To show false Art what beauty was of yore. |
. Sonnet 68 . (paraphrased) 01. So it is, his face is like a guidebook to days gone by, 02. When handsomeness lived, and died, as naturally as flowers still do now, 03. Before these various illegitimate ways to improve appearance were invented, 04. Or anyone dared to place such things (as wigs) on his own living head, 05. Before the treasured, blond hair of the dead, 06. Which should rightly be entombed with the deceased, was cut off, 07. To "live a second life" as a wig on somebody's head, 08. Before the beautiful dead were fleeced to make some living person happy. 09. In him, that revered time of old age is seen, 10. Without any artificial decoration - real and true, (the way it ought to be,) 11. Making no false appearance of youth out of somebody else's real youth, 12. Nor doing any grave robbing to try to dress up his own appearance as if he were young, 13. And Nature has saved him, as a guide, 14. To show the artifice of our times what real beauty was, in the days of yore. |
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Sonnet 68 Gloss
L1: Thus = so it is. ("Thus" does not refer to the previous Sonnet.) L1: out-worn = gone by. L3: bastard = illegitimate. Further suggesting "rude." L3: signs of fair = symbols of handsomeness (but without the reality of beauty underneath.) "Signs" can be understood as "facades." L3: born = invented. L4: durst = dared. L4: inhabit = dwell (figuratively.) Be found. L5: golden = blond. Secondarily, "treasured" (and of whatever color.) L8: gay = pretty looking. L9: holy = revered; honored. L9: antique hours - The time of old age. L10: itself = real. Something that is "just itself" is called "real" in modern vernacular. L11: summer = youth. Summer is poetically the time of youth. L12: robbing no old = doing no grave robbing. L12: dress = dress up. L13: map = guide. Guiding light; exemplar. L14: false Art = artifice. |
Sonnet 68 Notes
Wigs made from the hair of the dead are the object lesson for what the Poet means. He is not just objecting to wigs, only. His basic objection is to false appearances. Throughout the Sonnets, and certainly including this one, the Poet celebrated what was natural, real and true, and objected to falsehoods of all kinds. The Poet is congratulating the person of whom he speaks for not giving in to the fashion of trying to make himself look younger - and it is the case that when the elderly try to make themselves look young they too often only end up looking odd. ------- |
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