Shakespeare's Sonnets: That thou hast her it is not all my grief

Shakespeare's Sonnets: That thou hast her it is not all my grief

Sonnet 42

Original Text
SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): d1v.
1That thou hast her it is not all my grief,
2And yet it may be said I lov'd her dearly:
3That she hath thee is of my wailing chief,
4A loss in love that touches me more nearly.
5Loving offenders, thus I will excuse ye,
6Thou dost love her because thou know'st I love her,
7And for my sake ev'n so doth she abuse me,
8Suff'ring my friend for my sake to approve her.
9If I lose thee, my loss is my love's gain,
10And losing her, my friend hath found that loss,
11Both find each other, and I lose both twain,
12And both for my sake lay on me this cross.
13    But here's the joy, my friend and I are one;
14    Sweet flattery! then she loves but me alone.

Notes

2] There are extrametrical lines here and at 4-8. Back to Line
3] of my wailing chief] foremost cause for my complaining. Back to Line
7] ev'n] euen Q. abuse] deceive, mistreat. Back to Line
8] approve] put to the test of sexual experience (OED, "approve," v.1, 8). Back to Line
9] lose] loose Q. This spelling, here and in the next two lines, could pun on the verb "loose," meaning "absolve" and "release." Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1609
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2008
Rhyme
ababcdcdefefgg
Form
sonnet