William Shakespeare, Sonnet lxx
That thou art blam'd shall not be thy defect,
For slander's mark was ever yet the fair;
The ornament of beauty is supect, [*]
4
A crow that flies in heaven's sweetest air.
So thou be good, slander doth but approve
Thy worth the greater, being woo'd of time;
For canker vice the sweetest buds doth love,
8
And thou present'st a pure unstained prime.
Thou hast pass'd by the ambush of young days,
Either not assail'd , or victor being charg'd ;
Yet this thy praise cannot be so thy praise,
12
To tie up envy, evermore enlarg'd :
If some suspect of ill mask'd not thy show,
Then thou alone kingdoms of hearts shouldst owe. [*]
Notes
line 3: Suspect -- suspicion. So in King Henry IV., Part II.:-- "If my suspect be false, forgive me." [ Back to text ]
line 14: Owe -- own. [ Back to text ]
Most notes to Shakespeare's sonnets are from Charles Knight's edition, but those in square brackets are mine.