Sonnet 11: As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st
In one of thine, from that which thou departest,
And that fresh blood which youngly thou bestow'st,
Thou mayst call thine when thou from youth convertest.
Herein lives wisdom, beauty, and increase;
Without this folly, age, and cold decay,
If all were minded so, the times should cease,
And threescore year would make the world away.
Let those whom Nature hath not made for store,
Harsh, featureless, and rude, barrenly perish;
Look whom she best endowed, she gave the more,
Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish.
    She carved thee for her seal, and meant thereby,
    Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
126

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAAABCBCDEDEFF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 677
Words 118
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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    "Sonnet 11: As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41408/sonnet-11:-as-fast-as-thou-shalt-wane,-so-fast-thou-grow'st>.

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