Sonnet 32: If thou survive my well-contented day

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



If thou survive my well-contented day
When that churl Death my bones with dust shall cover,
And shalt by fortune once more re-survey
These poor rude lines of thy deceasèd lover,
Compare them with the bett'ring of the time,
And though they be outstripped by every pen,
Reserve them for my love, not for their rhyme,
Exceeded by the height of happier men.
O, then vouchsafe me but this loving thought:
"Had my friend's Muse grown with this growing age,
A dearer birth than this his love had brought
To march in ranks of better equipage;
    But since he died and poets better prove,
    Theirs for their style I'll read, his for his love."

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 27, 2023

35 sec read
108

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 633
Words 117
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…

All William Shakespeare poems | William Shakespeare Books

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    "Sonnet 32: If thou survive my well-contented day" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41478/sonnet-32:-if-thou-survive-my-well-contented-day>.

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