Sonnet 13: O, that you were your self! But, love, you are

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



O, that you were your self! But, love, you are
No longer yours than you yourself here live.
Against this coming end you should prepare,
And your sweet semblance to some other give.
So should that beauty which you hold in lease
Find no determination; then you were
Yourself again after yourself's decease,
When your sweet issue your sweet form should bear.
Who lets so fair a house fall to decay,
Which husbandry in honour might uphold
Against the stormy gusts of winter's day
And barren rage of death's eternal cold?
    O, none but unthrifts! Dear my love, you know,
    You had a father; let your son say so.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

34 sec read
63

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFECGHGHII
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 605
Words 111
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 13: O, that you were your self! But, love, you are" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41428/sonnet-13:-o,-that-you-were-your-self!-but,-love,-you-are>.

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