Sonnet 42: That thou hast her, it is not all my grief

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



That thou hast her, it is not all my grief,
And yet it may be said I loved her dearly;
That she hath thee is of my wailing chief,
A loss in love that touches me more nearly.
Loving offenders, thus I will excuse ye:
Thou dost love her because thou know'st I love her,
And for my sake even so doth she abuse me,
Suff'ring my friend for my sake to approve her.
If I lose thee, my loss is my love's gain,
And, losing her, my friend hath found that loss;
Both find each other, and I lose both twain,
And both for my sake lay on me this cross.
    But here's the joy: my friend and I are one,
    Sweet flattery! Then she loves but me alone.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
113

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABBCBCDEDEFG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 630
Words 132
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 42: That thou hast her, it is not all my grief" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41490/sonnet-42:-that-thou-hast-her,-it-is-not-all-my-grief>.

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