Shakespeare’s Sonnet #22: “My glass shall not persuade me I am old”

Sonnet 22

My glass shall not persuade me I am old
So long as youth and thou are of one date,
But when in thee Time’s furrows I behold,
Then look I death my days should expiate.
For all that beauty that doth cover thee
Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me;
How can I then be elder than thou art?
O, therefore, love, be of thyself so wary
As I, not for myself, but for thee will,
Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain;
Thou gav’st me thine not to give back again.

Simplified Modern English Translation

My glass shall not persuade me I am old
When I look in the mirror, I am not going to be pursuaded that I am old

So long as youth and thou are of one date,
as long as you continue to look young,

But when in thee Time’s furrows I behold,
but when you begin to show signs of aging,

Then look I death my days should expiate.
then I will begin to consider my own mortality;

For all that beauty that doth cover thee
because all the beauty that covers you

Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
is the self-same cover over my own heart

Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me;
which resides in you, just as yours does in mine;

How can I then be elder than thou art?
therefore you and I are effectively the same age!

O, therefore, love, be of thyself so wary
Therefore, love, take good care of yourself

As I, not for myself, but for thee will,
as I also will take good care of myself — for your sake —

Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary
since I am holding your heart, which I will watch over as carefully

As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
as a nursemaid takes care of her baby.

Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain;
Just to let you know:  iI you break my heart, please don’t ask for yours back.

Thou gav’st me thine not to give back again.
 You gave me yours not to give back again!

Reading of Sonnet 22

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:

My glasse shall not perswade me I am ould,
So long as youth and thou are of one date,
But when in thee times forrowes I behould,
Then look I death my daies should expiate.
For all that beauty that doth couer thee,
Is but the seemely rayment of my heart,
Which in thy brest doth liue, as thine in me,
How can I then be elder then thou art?
O therefore loue be of thy selfe so wary,
As I not for my selfe, but for thee will,
Bearing thy heart which I will keep so chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill,
Presume not on thy heart when mine is slaine,
Thou gau’st me thine not to giue backe againe.