William Shakespeare (ca. 1564-1616)
Shakespeare's Sonnets: Devouring time, blunt thou the lion's paws
Sonnet 19
1Devouring time, blunt thou the lion's paws
2And make the earth devour her own sweet brood,
3Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws
4And burn the long-liv'd phoenix in her blood,
5Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleet'st,
6And do what e'er thou wilt, swift-footed time,
7To the wide world and all her fading sweets:
8But I forbid thee one most heinous crime,
9O carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow,
10Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen,
11Him in thy course untainted do allow
12For beauty's pattern to succeeding men.
13 Yet do thy worst, old time, despite thy wrong,
14 My love shall in my verse ever live young.
Notes
1] The arms of the Pembrokes feature a lion and a panther.
Online text copyright © 2012, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): b4v-c1r.
First publication date:
1609
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 2008
Recent editing: 1:2008/8/21
Form: sonnet
Rhyme: ababcdcdefefgg
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