Shakespeare's Sonnets: Thou blind fool love, what dost thou to mine eyes

Sonnet 137

Original Text

SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): i1r-i1v.

1Thou blind fool love, what dost thou to mine eyes

2That they behold and see not what they see?

4Yet what the best is, take the worst to be.

5If eyes corrupt by over-partial looks

7Why of eye's falsehood hast thou forgèd hooks

8Whereto the judgement of my heart is tied?

10Which my heart knows the wide world's common place?

11Or mine eyes seeing this, say this is not

12To put fair truth upon so foul a face?

13 In things right true my heart and eyes have erred,

14 And to this false plague are they now transferred.

3] lies] lies down, as for sex. Back to Line

6] the bay] metaphorically, the woman common to all; also the woman's vagina. ride] ships ride in the water, and men ride women. Back to Line

9] that] i.e., "the bay where all men ride" (5). several] private (OED, "several," a., adv., and n., 7). Back to Line

Publication Start Year

1609

RPO poem Editors

Ian Lancashire

RPO Edition

2008

Rhyme

Form