Sonnet 21: So is it not with me as with that muse

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



So is it not with me as with that muse,
Stirred by a painted beauty to his verse,
Who heaven it self for ornament doth use
And every fair with his fair doth rehearse,
Making a couplement of proud compare
With sun and moon, with earth and sea's rich gems,
With April's first-born flowers, and all things rare
That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems.
O, let me, true in love, but truly write,
And then, believe me, my love is as fair
As any mother's child, though not so bright
As those gold candles fixed in heaven's air.
    Let them say more that like of hearsay well;
    I will not praise that purpose not to sell.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

37 sec read
138

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBDEDEFDFDGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 616
Words 120
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 21: So is it not with me as with that muse" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41467/sonnet-21:-so-is-it-not-with-me-as-with-that-muse>.

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