Shakespeare's Sonnets: Oh truant muse, what shall be thy amends

Shakespeare's Sonnets: Oh truant muse, what shall be thy amends

Sonnet 101

Original Text
SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): g1v-g2r.
1Oh truant muse, what shall be thy amends
2For thy neglect of truth in beauty dyed?
3Both truth and beauty on my love depends:
4So dost thou too, and therein dignified.
5Make answer, muse, wilt thou not haply say
6Truth needs no colour with his colour fixt,
7Beauty no pencil, beauty's truth to lay,
8But best is best, if never intermix't?
9Because he needs no praise, wilt thou be dumb?
10Excuse not silence so, for 't lies in thee
11To make him much out-live a gilded tomb
12And to be prais'd of ages yet to be.
13    Then do thy office, muse, I teach thee how
14    To make him seem long hence, as he shows now.

Notes

2] dyed] di'd Q. Back to Line
3] love] beloved. Back to Line
5] haply] maybe. Back to Line
6] fixt] unchanging. Back to Line
7] pencil] painting brush (OED 1b). Possibly pensell Q (a banner). lay] lay down (as colours in strata). Back to Line
9] dumb] mute. Back to Line
13] thy office] your duty. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1609
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2008
Rhyme
ababcdcdefefgg
Form
sonnet