Shakespeare’s Sonnet #75 “So are you to my thoughts as food to life”
Now counting best to be with you alone,
Then bettered that the world may see my pleasure.
Reading of Sonnet 75
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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.
Modernized Spelling and Punctuation
So are you to my thoughts as food to life,
Or as sweet-seasoned showers are to the ground;
And for the peace of you I hold such strife
As ‘twixt a miser and his wealth is found;
Now proud as an enjoyer and anon
Doubting the filching age will steal his treasure,
Now counting best to be with you alone,
Then bettered that the world may see my pleasure.
Sometime all full with feasting on your sight,
And by and by clean starvèd for a look;
Possessing or pursuing no delight,
Save what is had or must from you be took.
Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day,
Or gluttoning on all, or all away.
Simplified Modern English Translation
You are as necessary to my thoughts as food is to life,
or as the showers of the spring are to the earth;
and for the possession of you I hold such anxiety
as between a miser and his wealth is found;
now proud as an enjoyer and soon enough,
paranoid that the the dishonest times might steal my treasure;
now counting my riches as I am with you alone,
then hoping that the entire world could see my great fortune.
Sometimes all full with feasting on your sight,
and before long completely starved to get another look at you;
possessing or pursuing no delight,
other than what I have from you, or what I still may get.
Thus do I starve and gorge myself day by day,
either gluttoning on all, or all away.
Text from Original 1609 Quarto
Transcription courtesy of University of Virginia Library:
So are you to my thoughts as food to life,
Or as sweet season’d shewers are to the ground:
And for the peace of you I hold such strife,
As twixt a miser and his wealth is found.
Now proud as an inioyer, and anon
Doubting the filching age will steale his treasure,
Now counting best to be with you alone,
Then betterd that the world may see my pleasure,
Some-time all ful with feasting on your sight,
And by and by cleane starued for a looke,
Possessing or pursuing no delight
Saue what is had, or must from you be tooke.
Thus do I pine and surfet day by day,
Or gluttoning on all, or all away,