Shakespeare’s Sonnet #32: “If thou survive my well-contented day”

Sonnet 32

If thou survive my well-contented day,
When that churl Death my bones with dust shall cover,
And shalt by fortune once more re-survey
These poor rude lines of thy deceasèd lover,
Compare them with the bett’ring of the time,
And though they be outstripped by every pen,
Reserve them for my love, not for their rhyme,
Exceeded by the height of happier men.
O, then vouchsafe me but this loving thought:
“Had my friend’s muse grown with this growing age,
A dearer birth than this his love had brought,
To march in ranks of better equipage.
But since he died and poets better prove,
Theirs for their style I’ll read, his for his love.”

Simplified Modern English Translation

If thou survive my well-contented day,
If you outlive that day (that I am quite willing to see come),

When that churl Death my bones with dust shall cover,
when death shall overtake me,

And shalt by fortune once more re-survey
and shall by chance once more look over

These poor rude lines of thy deceasèd lover,
these simple lines of poetry written by your former lover,

Compare them with the bett’ring of the time,
compare them with the new and improved poetry of the day,

And though they be outstripped by every pen,
and although they may be outstripped by the latest fashion,

Reserve them for my love, not for their rhyme,
keep them for their true expression of love, not for the quality of their rhyme

Exceeded by the height of happier men.
exceeded by the pens of abler poets.

O, then vouchsafe me but this loving thought:
Then, just put this thought in your mind:

“Had my friend’s muse grown with this growing age,
“If my friend’s poetic powers had kept up with the latest innovations

A dearer birth than this his love had brought,
he would have produced more fashionable work than this,

To march in ranks of better equipage.
to keep up with his literary peers.

But since he died and poets better prove,
But since he died and their are now better poets around,

Theirs for their style I’ll read, his for his love.”
I’ll read the new poetry to keep up with the latest styles, but my friend’s poems for the purest love.”

Reading of Sonnet 32

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:

If thou suruiue my well contented daie,
*When that churle death my bones with dust shall couer
And shalt by fortune once more re-suruay:
These poore rude lines of thy deceased Louer:
Compare them with the bett’ring of the time,
And though they be out-stript by euery pen,
Reserue them for my loue, not for their rime,
Exceeded by the hight of happier men.
Oh then voutsafe me but this louing thought,
Had my friends Muse growne with this growing age,
A dearer birth then this his loue had brought:
To march in ranckes of better equipage:
But since he died and Poets better proue,
Theirs for their stile ile read, his for his loue.