Sonnet 45: The other two, slight air and purging fire

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



The other two, slight air and purging fire,
Are both with thee, wherever I abide;
The first my thought, the other my desire,
These present-absent with swift motion slide.
For when these quicker elements are gone
In tender embassy of love to thee,
My life, being made of four, with two alone
Sinks down to death, oppressed with melancholy;
Until life's composition be recured
By those swift messengers returned from thee,
Who even but now come back again, assured
Of thy fair health, recounting it to me.
    This told, I joy; but then no longer glad,
    I send them back again and straight grow sad.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

32 sec read
119

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDEDBDFDGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 595
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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    "Sonnet 45: The other two, slight air and purging fire" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41493/sonnet-45:-the-other-two,-slight-air-and-purging-fire>.

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