Shakespeare’s Sonnet #17: “Who will believe my verse in time to come”

 

Sonnet 17

Who will believe my verse in time to come
If it were filled with your most high deserts?
Though yet, heaven knows, it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life and shows not half your parts.
If I could write the beauty of your eyes
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say “This poet lies:
Such heavenly touches ne’er touched earthly faces.”
So should my papers yellowed with their age
Be scorned like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be termed a poet’s rage
And stretchèd metre of an antique song:
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice; in it and in my rhyme.

Simplified Modern English Translation

Who will believe my verse in time to come
Who will believe my verse in the ages to come

If it were filled with your most high deserts?
if it were filled with your high, yet deserved, praise?

Though yet, heaven knows, it is but as a tomb
Even though, heaven knows, it is only a poor representation

Which hides your life and shows not half your parts.
that hides your true beauty and shows only a fraction of your excellent qualities.

If I could write the beauty of your eyes
If I could write the beauty of your eyes

And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
and, with rhythm and meter, list all your excellent features,

The age to come would say “This poet lies:
The age to come would say “This poet lies:

Such heavenly touches ne’er touched earthly faces.”
such heavenly touches never touched earthly faces.”

So should my papers yellowed with their age
Then my papers, turned yellow with age, would

Be scorned like old men of less truth than tongue,
be ignored like old men who talk a lot but are always exaggerating, 

And your true rights be termed a poet’s rage
and your true beauty would be considered nothing but a poet’s imagination

And stretchèd metre of an antique song:
and an artificial metrical game employing an old-fashioned poetical tradition.

But were some child of yours alive that time,
But if a child of yours were alive in that time,

You should live twice; in it and in my rhyme.
 you should live twice; in your child and in my rhyme.

Reading of Sonnet 17

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.  

Text from Original 1609 Quarto

Transcription courtesy of University of Virginia Library:

Who will beleeue my verse in time to come
If it were fild with your most high deserts?
Though yet heauen knowes it is but as a tombe
*Which hides your life, and shewes not halfe your parts:
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say this Poet lies,
Such heauenly touches nere toucht earthly faces.
So should my papers (yellowed with their age)
Be scorn’d, like old men of lesse truth then tongue,
And your true rights be termd a Poets rage,
And stretched miter of an Antique song.
But were some childe of yours aliue that time,
You should liue twise in it, and in my rime.

 

* indicates fully justified line, compositor may have adjusted spelling to fit the line.