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William Shakespeare (ca. 1564-1616)

Shakespeare's Sonnets: Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Sonnet 26


              1Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
              2Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit,
              3To thee I send this written ambassage
              4To witness duty, not to shew my wit.
              5Duty so great, which wit so poor as mine
              6May make seem bare, in wanting words to shew it,
              7But that I hope some good conceit of thine
              8In thy soul's thought (all naked) will bestow it:
              9Till whatsoever star that guides my moving,
            10Points on me graciously with fair aspect,
            11And puts apparel on my tottered loving
            12To show me worthy of their sweet respect.
            13    Then may I dare to boast how I do love thee,
            14    Till then, not show my head where thou may'st prove me.

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Notes

1] Until his accession to the earldom, William Herbert was termed "Lord Herbert."

6] shew it] possibly elided.

8] will bestow] willbstow Q. bestow it] possibly elided.

10] aspect] angle of (astral or planetary) influence.

11] tottered] tattered.

12] their] Q; thy Jackson. The apparent referent, "whatsoever star" (9) is singular, but Shakespeare does not slavishly make noun and verb agree in number.

13] Lines 13-14 are both extrametrical.

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): c2r-c2v.
First publication date: 1609
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 2006
Recent editing: 1:2008/8/22

Composition date: 1609
Form: sonnet
Rhyme: ababcdcdefefgg

Other poems by William Shakespeare

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