Shakespeare's Sonnets: Against my love shall be as I am now

Sonnet 63

Original Text

SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): e2r.

2With time's injurious hand crush't and o'er-worn,

4With lines and wrinkles, when his youthful morn

6And all those beauties whereof now he's king

7Are vanishing, or vanish't out of sight,

8Stealing away the treasure of his spring.

9For such a time do I now fortify

10Against confounding age's cruel knife,

11That he shall never cut from memory

13 His beauty shall in these black lines be seen,

14 And they shall live, and he in them still green.

1] Against] Anticipating when. Back to Line

3] fill'd] possibly punning on "(de)filed." Back to Line

5] steepy] high, precipitous, threatening a fall. Back to Line

12] though my lover's life] though (he may cut from memory) my lover's life. Back to Line

Publication Start Year

1609

RPO poem Editors

Ian Lancashire

RPO Edition

2008

Rhyme

Form