Poems and Sonnets of William ShakespeareHe is the greatest writer in the English language-perhaps in any language-and here, in one compact volume is all the verse even many of those familiar with his plays have never read. In 1593 and 1594, while English theaters were closed in response to the plague, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616) turned from drama to narrative poems, and published the dyad "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece," erotic meditations on lust and sexual power. Standing powerfully in opposition to each other, they also differ wildly from Shakespeare's romantic sonnets-all 154 of them are here. Also in this hard-to-find collection are the Bard's lesser known poems: "A Lover's Complaint," "The Passionate Pilgrim," "Sonnets to Sundry Notes of Music," and "The Phoenix and the Turtle." Rounding out the collection are poems from his plays, featuring beloved excerpts from The Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love's Labour's Lost, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, and others. Not an academic work, this lovely volume lets Shakespeare's words stand on their own, resounding-as ever they do-with their own unique power and beauty. |
From inside the book
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Page 10
... gentle wind Shall cool the heat of this descending sun ; I'll make a shadow for thee of my hairs ; If they burn too , I'll quench them with my tears . " The sun that shines from heaven shines but warm , And lo , I lie between that sun ...
... gentle wind Shall cool the heat of this descending sun ; I'll make a shadow for thee of my hairs ; If they burn too , I'll quench them with my tears . " The sun that shines from heaven shines but warm , And lo , I lie between that sun ...
Page 13
... gentle majesty , and modest pride ; Anon he rears upright , curvets , and leaps , As who should say , lo ! thus my strength is tried ; And this I do to captivate the eye Of the fair breeder that is standing by . What recketh he his ...
... gentle majesty , and modest pride ; Anon he rears upright , curvets , and leaps , As who should say , lo ! thus my strength is tried ; And this I do to captivate the eye Of the fair breeder that is standing by . What recketh he his ...
Page 16
... gently now she takes him by the hand , A lily prison'd in a gaol of snow , Or ivory in an alabaster band ; So white a friend engirts so white a foe : This beauteous combat , wilful and unwilling , Show'd like two silver doves that sit a ...
... gently now she takes him by the hand , A lily prison'd in a gaol of snow , Or ivory in an alabaster band ; So white a friend engirts so white a foe : This beauteous combat , wilful and unwilling , Show'd like two silver doves that sit a ...
Page 17
... when his glutton eye so full hath fed , His other agents aim at like delight ? Who is so faint that dare not be so bold To touch the fire , the weather being cold ? ' Let me excuse thy courser , gentle boy ; VENUS AND ADONIS 17.
... when his glutton eye so full hath fed , His other agents aim at like delight ? Who is so faint that dare not be so bold To touch the fire , the weather being cold ? ' Let me excuse thy courser , gentle boy ; VENUS AND ADONIS 17.
Page 18
William Shakespeare. ' Let me excuse thy courser , gentle boy ; And learn of him , I heartily beseech thee , To take advantage on presented joy ; Though I were dumb , yet his proceedings teach thee . O learn to love ; the lesson is but ...
William Shakespeare. ' Let me excuse thy courser , gentle boy ; And learn of him , I heartily beseech thee , To take advantage on presented joy ; Though I were dumb , yet his proceedings teach thee . O learn to love ; the lesson is but ...
Common terms and phrases
Adonis art thou AUTOLYCUS bear beauty beauty's behold birds blood blushing boar breast breath cheeks Collatine Cuckoo dead dear death deeds delight desire dost thou doth face fair fair lords falchion false faults fear fire flower fool forsworn foul gentle give grace grief groans hand hate hath hear heart heaven Hecate heigh-ho honour king kiss lend light lips live looks love's Love's fire Lucrece Lucretius lust mayst merry mind moan ne'er never night numbers o'er pale PANDARUS pity poison'd poor praise Priam proud quoth scorn seem'd Sextus Tarquinius shadow shame sighs sight sing sorrow soul stamp'd swear Tarquin tears thee thine eye things thou art thou dost thou hast thou wilt thought thy love thyself Time's tongue true truth ugly night unto weary weep WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE wind Witch wound wretched youth
Popular passages
Page 194 - When my love swears that she is made of truth I do believe her, though I know she lies, That she might think me some untutor'd youth, Unlearned in the world's false subtleties. Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young, Although she knows my days are past the best, Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue; On both sides thus is simple truth suppress'd.
Page 190 - Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and prov'd, a very woe; Before, a joy propos'd; behind, a dream.
Page 176 - To me fair friend you never can be old, For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still: three winters cold, Have from the forests shook three summers...
Page 254 - If we shadows have offended. Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend...
Page 260 - Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, That dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot : Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend remember'd not.
Page 257 - When all aloud the wind doth blow, And coughing drowns the parson's saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marian's nose looks red and raw, When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
Page 273 - FEAR no more the heat o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages. Golden lads and girls all must, As chimney-sweepers, come to dust. Fear no more the frown o...
Page 167 - And like enough thou know'st thy estimate : The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing ; My bonds in thee are all determinate. For how do I hold thee but by thy granting ? And for that riches where is my deserving ? The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting, And so my patent back again is swerving. Thyself thou gav'st, thy own worth then not knowing, Or me, to whom thou gav'st it, else mistaking ; So thy great gift, upon misprision growing, Comes home again, on better judgment making. Thus...