Shakespeare’s Sonnet #129 “Th’ expense of spirit in a waste of shame”
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
Reading of Sonnet 129
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The images in the YouTube video are from an original 1609 edition of Shake-speares Sonnets held by the British Library. It is one of only thirteen copies in existence. Images courtesy of the Octavo Corporation.
Modernized Spelling and Punctuation
Th’ expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and, till action, lust
Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight;
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad.
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof and proved a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows, yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.
Simplified Modern English Translation
The use of one’s vital force in a shameful act
is lust in action; and, leading up to consummation, lust
is lying, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to be trusted.
As soon as enjoyed it is immediately despised;
insanely hunted, and no sooner had
past reason hated as a swallowed bait
on purpose “laid” to make the taker mad.
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
blissful in the moment of proof, but afterwards a mere woe;
before, an anticipated joy; in retrospect, nothing but a dream.
All this the world well knows, yet none knows well
to shun the “heaven” that leads men to this hell.
Text from Original 1609 Quarto
Transcription courtesy of University of Virginia Library:
Th’expence of Spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action, and till action, lust
Is periurd, murdrous, blouddy full of blame,
Sauage, extreame, rude, cruell, not to trust,
Inioyd no sooner but dispised straight,
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had
Past reason hated as a swollowed bayt,
On purpose layd to make the taker mad.
Made¹ in pursut and in possession so,
Had, hauing, and in quest, to haue extreame,
A blisse in proofe and proud and² very wo,
Before a ioy proposd behind a dreame,
All this the world well knowes yet none knowes well,
To shun the heauen that leads men to this hell.
Wording differences between the text and the reading are noted with a superscript:
² proved a