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William Shakespeare (ca. 1564-1616)

Shakespeare's Sonnets: Let me confess that we two must be twain
Sonnet 36


              1Let me confess that we two must be twain
              2Although our undivided loves are one:
              3So shall those blots that do with me remain,
              4Without thy help, by me be borne alone.
              5In our two loves there is but one respect,
              6Though in our lives a separable spite,
              7Which though it alter not love's sole effect,
              8Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight.
              9I may not ever-more acknowledge thee,
            10Lest my bewailèd guilt should do thee shame,
            11Nor thou with public kindness honour me,
            12Unless thou take that honour from thy name:
            13    But do not so, I love thee in such sort,
            14    As thou being mine, mine is thy good report.

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Notes

1] twain] not made of one flesh as when married.

5] respect] consideration.

6] separable] glossed by OED as "? Capable of separating" ("separable," a., 2). Their joint spirit is able to "divide" (without ill effect; cf. 39.5).

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): c4r-c4v.
First publication date: 1609
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 2008
Recent editing: 1:2008/8/23*1:2008/8/23

Form: sonnet
Rhyme: ababcdcdefefgg

Other poems by William Shakespeare

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