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. Sonnet 83 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. I Never saw that you did painting need, 02. And therefore to your fair no painting set, 03. I found (or thought I found) you did exceed, 04. The barren tender of a Poet's debt; 05. And therefore have I slept in your report, 06. That you yourself being extant well might show, 07. How far a modern quill doth come too short, 08. Speaking of worth, what worth in you doth grow; 09. This silence for my sin you did impute, 10. Which shall be most my glory being dumb, 11. For I impair not beauty being mute, 12. When others would give life, and bring a tomb. 13. There lives more life in one of your fair eyes, 14. Than both your Poets can in praise devise. |
. Sonnet 83 . (paraphrased) 01. I never saw that you needed to be artificially enhanced, 02. And therefore, to your beauty, I applied nothing artificial; 03. I saw (or thought I saw) that you were beyond 04. The pointless offer of a poet's verse; 05. And therefore, I have done nothing on your account, 06. Since you, who exist, might well show, yourself, 07. How far a contemporary writer comes up short 08. When he tries to speak of quality, compared to the quality that lives within you; 09. You reckoned my silence as an offense by me, 10. But I should earn a halo by remaining silent, 11. Because I don't impair your beauty, or anybody's, merely by not writing of it, 12. While there are others who would try to give you life, but poetically, they'd smother you to death with their verse. 13. There's more life living in one of your lovely eyes, 14. Than both your poets, together, could make up in trying to praise you. |
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Sonnet 83 Gloss
L1: painting = artificial enhancement (like facial cosmetics.) L2: fair = handsomeness; beauty. L2: set = applied. L3: found = saw. L4: barren = pointless. L4: tender = offer. L4: debt = obligation. A poet "pays his debt" with poetry, therefore "debt" = poetic verse. L5: slept = done nothing; saved my energy. L5: in your report = on your account. L7: modern - As opposed to classical. It's a compliment, that the addressee would need a classical poet like Homer to do him justice. L8: grow = live. Growing things are alive. L9: sin = offense. L10: glory = halo. The meaning is ascertained by contrast with "sin" in line 9. The Poet is saying he's been more saint than sinner, by not writing about the addressee. Instead of being accused of "sin," he should get a halo for keeping quiet. L12: tomb = (poetic) death. The implication is, smothered to death with verse, figuratively speaking. |
Sonnet 83 Notes
It appears Sonnet 83 concerns a competition the addressee tried to encourage between Shakespeare and another poet, but Shakespeare didn't want to play the game, and didn't respond at that time. Now, in Sonnet 83, he explains why not. He apparently didn't appreciate the attempt to put him in that situation. He challenges the addressee to show himself as a person of beauty and quality, which beats any poetry. Sonnet 83 contains a subtle, genteel correction of the addressee's manners, which is quite interesting since the addressee must have been of higher social rank. ------- |
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