Sonnet 53: What is your substance, whereof are you made
William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)
What is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since everyone hath, every one, one shade,
And you, but one, can every shadow lend.
Describe Adonis, and the counterfeit
Is poorly imitated after you;
On Helen's cheek all art of beauty set,
And you in Grecian tires are painted new.
Speak of the spring, and foison of the year;
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,
The other as your bounty doth appear,
And you in every blessèd shape we know.
In all external grace you have some part,
But you like none, none you, for constant heart.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 32 sec read
- 136 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDEDFGFGHH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 583 |
Words | 108 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Sonnet 53: What is your substance, whereof are you made" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41502/sonnet-53:-what-is-your-substance,-whereof-are-you-made>.
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