Shakespeare's Sonnets: In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn

Shakespeare's Sonnets: In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn

Sonnet 152

Original Text
SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): i4v.
1In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
2But thou art twice forsworn to me love swearing,
3In act thy bed-vow broke and new faith torn
4In vowing new hate after new love bearing.
5But why of two oaths' breach do I accuse thee
6When I break twenty? I am perjur'd most,
7For all my vows are oaths but to misuse thee,
8And all my honest faith in thee is lost;
9For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness,
10Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy,
11And to enlighten thee gave eyes to blindness,
12Or made them swear against the thing they see.
13    For I have sworn thee fair: more perjur'd eye,
14    To swear against the truth so foul a lie.

Notes

1] I am forsworn] to his wife. Back to Line
2] Extrametrical, with line 4. Back to Line
3] bed-vow] promise to be sexually faithful to one bed (i.e., person). new faith] suggesting that the dark lady was recently affianced or wed. Back to Line
11] gave eyes to blindness] willfully refused to see what was apparent. Back to Line
13] eye] possibly a pun on "I." Back to Line
14] so: fo Q. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1609
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2008
Rhyme
ababcdcdefefgg
Form
sonnet