#sonnet 80

[st-clements-steps]

Or (being wrecked) I am a worthless boat

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 80

[p-isforpoetry]

Sonnet 80 read by Sir Patrick Stewart: "Sonnet 80 arrives on the eve of my 80th birthday."

Sir Patrick Stewart celebrates his 80th birthday with Shakespeare's Sonnet 80. 2020.07.13

Sonnet 80  O! how I faint when I of you do write by William Shakespeare

O! how I faint when I of you do write, Knowing a better spirit doth use your name, And in the praise thereof spends all his might, To make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame.

But since your worth, wide as the ocean is, The humble as the proudest sail doth bear, My saucy bark, inferior far to his, On your broad main doth wilfully appear.

Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat, Whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride; Or, being wracked, I am a worthless boat, He of tall building, and of goodly pride:

  Then if he thrive and I be cast away,   The worst was this, my love was my decay.

[gwens-fiction]

I love this sonnet by Shakespeare. Not only for the beautiful nautical imagery, but I also love the message within it.

To explain, the speaker is writing in a subject they are aware that a better, or more rebound writer is also writing on. However, they know the subject is big enough for them both to write on it without problem. In the end they conclude that even if they fail or don’t get any recognition for their writing on the topic, at least they wrote about something they love.

Lately I’ve been talking with some beginning fanfic writers of my fandom and I could tell they were nervous using some similar ideas to me, who has been a longtime fanfic writer in said fandom. At the end of the day, what matters is that you have fun with your writing. Fandoms are topics worthy enough to have the same trope approached by as many people who want to write it. After all, how someone else wrote a trope isn’t how YOU will. So really, please don’t feel nervous to write because someone better known is writing on a similar topic, write it anyway! And even if you don’t receive a lot of recognition, that doesn’t mean there aren’t silent readers who love it, and lastly you wrote something you love and that’s half the battle often when it comes to writing.

[formercherub]

The worst was this: my love was my decay.

William Shakespeare

[theshakespearesonnets]

Sonnet 80: O! How I Faint When I Do Write Of You

O! how I faint when I of you do write, Knowing a better spirit doth use your name, And in the praise thereof spends all his might, To make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame. But since your worth, wide as the ocean is, The humble as the proudest sail doth bear, My saucy bark, inferior far to his, On your broad main doth wilfully appear. Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat, Whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride; Or, being wrack’d, I am a worthless boat, He of tall building, and of goodly pride: Then if he thrive and I be cast away, The worst was this, my love was my decay.

Translation to modern English

Oh, how faint I feel when I write about you, knowing that a better poet can claim you as his patron. And in singing your praises he uses all his energy to make me tongue-tied. But since your worth is as wide as the ocean, and the humblest can sail on it as well as the proudest, my insolent boat, far inferior to his, insists on sailing on your vast open sea. Your most shallow favour will keep me afloat while he sails on your deepest favour. But, if I am wrecked it’s because I’m a worthless boat, while he is stately and proud. Then if he prospers and I be cast ashore, the worst aspect of it was this: my love for you was my ruin.

[p-isforpoetry]

Sonnet 80 by William Shakespeare (read by Dame Harriet Walter)

O! how I faint when I of you do write, Knowing a better spirit doth use your name, And in the praise thereof spends all his might, To make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame.

But since your worth, wide as the ocean is, The humble as the proudest sail doth bear, My saucy bark, inferior far to his, On your broad main doth wilfully appear.

Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat, Whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride; Or, being wracked, I am a worthless boat, He of tall building, and of goodly pride:

  Then if he thrive and I be cast away,   The worst was this, my love was my decay.

Source:  thesonnets.tv

[shakespeare-will-world]

https://shakespeare-will-world.tumblr.com/

АНОНС Николай Обабков читает 80 сонет У. Шекспира

[adrasteiax]

(...) my love was my decay.

William Shakespeare, from Sonnet 80 in “The Complete Sonnets And Poems”