Shakespeare’s Sonnet #6: “Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface”

Sonnet 6

Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface
In thee thy summer, ere thou be distilled.
Make sweet some vial; treasure thou some place
With beauty’s treasure, ere it be self-killed.
That use is not forbidden usury
Which happies those that pay the willing loan;
That’s for thyself to breed another thee,
Or ten times happier, be it ten for one.
Ten times thyself were happier than thou art,
If ten of thine ten times refigured thee:
Then what could death do, if thou shouldst depart,
Leaving thee living in posterity?
Be not self-willed, for thou art much too fair
To be death’s conquest and make worms thine heir.

Simplified Modern English Translation

Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface
Don’t let the destructive power of winter destroy

In thee thy summer, ere thou be distilled.
your summer’s beauty, before you decide to have a child.

Make sweet some vial; treasure thou some place
Get married and have a baby

With beauty’s treasure, ere it be self-killed.
which will inherit your beautiful likeness, before age destroys you.

That use is not forbidden usury
It is not forbidden to lend your essence to another

Which happies those that pay the willing loan;
Since both you and your partner are happy to do it.

That’s for thyself to breed another thee,
And that essence will create another copy of you.

Or ten times happier, be it ten for one.
Or ten times better, if you have ten children.

Ten times thyself were happier than thou art,
Ten copies of you would make the world even happier

If ten of thine ten times refigured thee:
since your beauty would be copied ten times over.

Then what could death do, if thou shouldst depart,
Then death would be powerless over you

Leaving thee living in posterity?
since so many copies of you would be alive for posterity.

Be not self-willed, for thou art much too fair
Don’t be stubborn.  You are much too beautiful

To be death’s conquest and make worms thine heir.
 to be conquered by death and end up nothing but food for worms.

Reading of Sonnet 6

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:

Then let not winters wragged hand deface,
In thee thy summer ere thou be distil’d:
Make sweet some viall; treasure thou some place,
With beauties treasure ere it be selfe kil’d:
That vse is not forbidden vsery,
Which happies those that pay the willing lone;
That’s for thy selfe to breed an other thee,
Or ten times happier be it ten for one,
Ten times thy selfe were happier then thou art,
If ten of thine ten times refigur’d thee,
Then what could death doe if thou should’st depart,
Leauing thee liuing in posterity?
Be not selfe-wild for thou art much too faire,
To be deaths conquest and make wormes thine heire.