Page:Shakespeare's Sonnets (1923) Yale.djvu/56

46 

Some glory in their birth, some in their skill,

Some in their wealth, some in their body's force;

Some in their garments, though new-fangled ill;

Some in their hawks and hounds, some in their horse;

And every humour hath his adjunct pleasure,

Wherein it finds a joy above the rest:

But these particulars are not my measure;

All these I better in one general best.

Thy love is better than high birth to me,

Richer than wealth, prouder than garments' cost,

Of more delight than hawks or horses be;

And having thee, of all men's pride I boast:

Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst take

All this away, and me most wretched make.

 

But do thy worst to steal thyself away,

For term of life thou art assured mine;

And life no longer than thy love will stay,

For it depends upon that love of thine.

Then need I not to fear the worst of wrongs,

When in the least of them my life hath end.

I see a better state to me belongs

Than that which on thy humour doth depend:

Thou canst not vex me with inconstant mind,

Since that my life on thy revolt doth lie.

O ! what a happy title do I find,

Happy to have thy love, happy to die:

But what's so blessed-fair that fears no blot?

Thou mayst be false, and yet I know it not.

 3 new-fangled ill: fashionably ugly

5 humour: disposition

adjunct: connected

7 measure: limit (of joy)  8 humour: mood

10 Since that lie: since my life would end if you betrayed me 