Shakespeare’s Sonnet #24: “Mine eye hath played the painter and hath stelled”

Sonnet 24

Mine eye hath played the painter and hath stelled
Thy beauty’s form in table of my heart;
My body is the frame wherein ’tis held,
And perspective it is best painter’s art.
For through the painter must you see his skill,
To find where your true image pictured lies,
Which in my bosom’s shop is hanging still,
That hath his windows glazèd with thine eyes.
Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done:
Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me
Are windows to my breast, where-through the sun
Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee.
Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art:
They draw but what they see, know not the heart.

Simplified Modern English Translation

Mine eye hath played the painter and hath stelled
My eye has pretended to be a painter and has painted

Thy beauty’s form in table of my heart;
your image onto my heart.

My body is the frame wherein ’tis held,
My body is the frame of this “visual” portrait,

And perspective it is best painter’s art.
which illustrates how perspective (i.e. “through the eyes”) is the best tool of any painter.

For through the painter must you see his skill,
For only by looking through the painter himself can you measure his skill,

To find where your true image pictured lies,
to find where your true likeness lies,

Which in my bosom’s shop is hanging still,
which you will find now resides in my heart,

That hath his windows glazèd with thine eyes.
with shop windows that are actually your own eyes.

Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done:
Now see how both of our eyes have done each other a favor.

Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me
My eyes have painted a perfect portrait of you, and your eyes

Are windows to my breast, where-through the sun
have provided the windows to my heart, where the sun itself

Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee.
loves to shine in, to gaze at your likeness.

Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art:
I must admit, though, that my eye-painting is not perfect.

They draw but what they see, know not the heart.
I can only paint what I see; and I can’t see your heart’s true feelings.

Reading of Sonnet 24

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:

Mine eye hath play’d the painter and hath steeld¹,
Thy beauties forme in table of my heart,
My body is the frame wherein ti’s held,
And perspectiue it is best Painters art.
For through the Painter must you see his skill,
To finde where your true Image pictur’d lies,
Which in my bosomes shop is hanging stil,
That hath his windowes glazed with thine eyes:
Now see what good-turnes eyes for eies haue done,
Mine eyes haue drawne thy shape, and thine for me
Are windowes to my brest, where-through the Sun
Delights to peepe, to gaze therein on thee
Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art
They draw but what they see, know not the hart.

 

Wording differences between the text and the reading are noted with a superscript:

¹ stelled