Shakespeare's Sonnets (1923) Yale/Text/Sonnet 62

by William Shakespeare

For other versions of this work, see Sonnet 62 (Shakespeare).

Layout 2

62

Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye
And all my soul and all my every part;
And for this sin there is no remedy,
It is so grounded inward in my heart. 4
Methinks no face so gracious is as mine,
No shape so true, no truth of such account;
And for myself mine own worth do define,
As I all other in all worths surmount. 8
But when my glass shows me myself indeed,
Beated and chopp'd with tann'd antiquity,
Mine own self-love quite contrary I read;
Self so self-loving were iniquity. 12
'Tis thee, myself,—that for myself I praise,
Painting my age with beauty of thy days.

 

7 do define: I do define
8 As: so that
other: others
10 Beated and chopp'd: battered (?) and chapped; Cf. n.
antiquity: old age