William Shakespeare (ca. 1564-1616)
Shakespeare's Sonnets: Tir'd with all these for restful death I cry
Sonnet 66
1Tir'd with all these, for restful death I cry,
2As to behold desert a begger born,
3And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity,
4And purest faith unhappily forsworn,
5And gilded honour shamefully misplac't,
6And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted,
7And right perfection wrongfully disgrac'd,
8And strength by limping sway disablèd,
9And art made tongue-tied by authority,
10And folly (doctor-like) controlling skill,
11And simple-truth miscall'd simplicity,
12And captive-good attending captain-ill.
13 Tir'd with all these, from these would I be gone,
14 Save that to die, I leave my love alone.
Notes
2] desert] worthiness.
3] needy nothing] the indigent. trimm'd in jollity] dressed up in finery.
8] sway] authority. disablèd] four-syllabled.
11] simplicity] ignorance.
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): e2v.
First publication date:
1609
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 2008
Recent editing: 1:2008/8/24
Form: sonnet
Rhyme: ababcdcdefefgg
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