#sonnet 63

[lacelynpage]

Shakespeare's Sonnets

#63

Against my love shall be, as I am now,

With Time's injurious hand crush's and o'erworn;

When hours have drain'd his blood and fill'd his brow

With lines and wrinkles; when his youthful morn

Hath travell'd on to she's steeply night;

And all those beauties whereof now he's king

Are vanishing or vanished out of sight,

Stealing away the treasure of his spring;

For such a time do I now fortify

Against confounding ages cruel knife,

That he shall never cut from memory

My sweet Love's beauty, though my lover's life:

        His beauty shall in these black lines be seen,

        And they shall live, and he in them still green.

[p-isforpoetry]

Sonnet 63 by William Shakespeare (read by Alex Jennings)

Against my love shall be as I am now, With Time's injurious hand crushed and o'erworn; When hours have drained his blood and filled his brow With lines and wrinkles; when his youthful morn

Hath travelled on to age's steepy night; And all those beauties whereof now he's king Are vanishing, or vanished out of sight, Stealing away the treasure of his spring;

For such a time do I now fortify Against confounding age's cruel knife, That he shall never cut from memory My sweet love's beauty, though my lover's life:

  His beauty shall in these black lines be seen,   And they shall live, and he in them still green.

Source: The Sonnets, 2000

[p-isforpoetry]

Sonnet 63 by William Shakespeare (read by Sir Patrick Stewart)

Against my love shall be as I am now, With Time's injurious hand crushed and o'erworn; When hours have drained his blood and filled his brow With lines and wrinkles; when his youthful morn

Hath travelled on to age's steepy night; And all those beauties whereof now he's king Are vanishing, or vanished out of sight, Stealing away the treasure of his spring;

For such a time do I now fortify Against confounding age's cruel knife, That he shall never cut from memory My sweet love's beauty, though my lover's life:

  His beauty shall in these black lines be seen,   And they shall live, and he in them still green.

[theshakespearesonnets]

Sonnet 63: Against My Love Shall Be As I Am Now

Against my love shall be as I am now, With Time’s injurious hand crush’d and o’erworn; When hours have drain’d his blood and fill’d his brow With lines and wrinkles; when his youthful morn Hath travell’d on to age’s steepy night; And all those beauties whereof now he’s king Are vanishing, or vanished out of sight, Stealing away the treasure of his spring; For such a time do I now fortify Against confounding age’s cruel knife, That he shall never cut from memory My sweet love’s beauty, though my lover’s life: His beauty shall in these black lines be seen, And they shall live, and he in them still green.

__________________________

Translation to modern English

In anticipation of the time when my love will be as I am now, crushed and worn out by time’s destroying hand; when the years will have sapped his energy and covered his forehead with wrinkles; when the morning of his youth will have journeyed on to the hard night of old age, and all the beauty which crowns him now will be disappearing or have completely disappeared, stealing the treasures of his youth – I’m preparing myself for that time, defending myself against the cruel knife of damaging old age to make sure that he will never cut the beauty of my sweet love from my memory, even if he should die. His beauty will be seen in these black verses, which will survive, and he will live in them, forever young.

[shakespeareandtheatre]

Sonnet 63

Against my love shall be, as I am now, With Time's injurious hand crush'd and o'er-worn; When hours have drain'd his blood and fill'd his brow With lines and wrinkles; when his youthful morn Hath travell'd on to age's steepy night, And all those beauties whereof now he's king Are vanishing or vanish'd out of sight, Stealing away the treasure of his spring; For such a time do I now fortify Against confounding age's cruel knife, That he shall never cut from memory My sweet love's beauty, though my lover's life:    His beauty shall in these black lines be seen,    And they shall live, and he in them still green.

[journeyintowriting]

Daily Shakespeare

Against my love shall be as I am now, With Time's injurious hand crushed and o'erworn; When hours have drained his blood and filled his brow With lines and wrinkles; when his youthful morn Hath travelled on to age's steepy night; And all those beauties whereof now he's king Are vanishing, or vanished out of sight, Stealing away the treasure of his spring; For such a time do I now fortify Against confounding age's cruel knife, That he shall never cut from memory My sweet love's beauty, though my lover's life: His beauty shall in these black lines be seen, And they shall live, and he in them still green.

Sonnet 63