William Shakespeare, Sonnet xxxiv
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
And make me travel forth without my cloak,
To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way,
4
Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?
'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve can speak,
8
That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace:
Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:
The offender's sorrow lends but weak relief
12
To him that bears the strong offence's cross. [*]
Ah! but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,
And they are rich, and ransom all ill deeds.
Notes
line 12: Cross. The original had loss -- evidently a mistake. Malone substituted cross. [ Back to text ]
Most notes to Shakespeare's sonnets are from Charles Knight's edition, but those in square brackets are mine.