Sonnet 1: From fairest creatures we desire increase

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



From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory;
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And tender churl mak'st waste in niggarding.
    Pity the world, or else this glutton be:
    To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

33 sec read
58

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABACDEDEFGHGCC
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 611
Words 107
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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