Shakespeare's Sonnets: The forward violet thus did I chide

Shakespeare's Sonnets: The forward violet thus did I chide

Sonnet 99

1The forward violet thus did I chide,
2Sweet thief, whence did'st thou steal thy sweet that smells
3If not from my love's breath? The purple pride
4Which on thy soft cheek for complexion dwells?
5In my love's veins thou hast too grossly dyed,
6The lily I condemnèd for thy hand,
7And buds of marjoram had stol'n thy hair,
8The roses fearfully on thorns did stand,
9Our blushing shame, an other white despair:
10A third nor red, nor white, had stol'n of both,
11And to his robb'ry had annex't thy breath,
12But for his theft in pride of all his growth
13A vengeful canker ate him up to death.
14    More flow'rs I noted, yet I none could see,
15    But sweet or colour it had stol'n from thee.

Notes

1] forward] early. Back to Line
5] This unexpected line increases the sonnet's length to 15 lines. Back to Line
6] condemnèd for] put down (demeaned) in defence of (the whiteness of). Back to Line
7] buds of marjoram] sometimes white. Back to Line
9] Our] Q; One Malone. Back to Line
13] canker] caterpillar; cancer. ate] eat Q. Back to Line
14] flow'rs] flowers Q. Back to Line
Publication Notes
SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): g1v.
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2008
Rhyme
ababacdcdefefgg
Form
sonnet (15 lines)