O, never say that I was false of heart,
Though absence seem'd my flame to qualify.
As easy might I from myself depart
As from my soul, which in thy breast doth lie:
That is my home of love: if I have ranged,
Like him that travels I return again,
Just to the time, not with the time exchanged,
So that myself bring water for my stain.
Never believe, though in my nature reign'd
All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood,
That it could so preposterously be stain'd,
To leave for nothing all thy sum of good;
For nothing this wide universe I call,
Save thou, my rose; in it thou art my all.
.............a true romantic...wonderful lines... ~For nothing this wide universe I call, Save thou, my rose; in it thou art my all.~
Shakespeare really had a lot of gall sometimes. In this poem he seems to be saying 'All dem other women didn' mean nuttin' to me, honey! ' I wonder if he was trying to get someone to take him back... Still, this sonnet is one of my favourites. It is beautifully done, and if that is what he meant, I hope she did take him back. It can have a more noble meaning, though, if you look at it right. I travel a great deal, and this sonnet reminds me of the wife I look forward to seeing again- the wife I remain true to, temptations be damned. For nothing this wide universe, save her, I call my Rose; in it, she is my all.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
We can sense here a confidence and independence in the tone - a tone found only in a few of the Sonnets. The poet reveals that his feelings toward his friend have cooled during his time away from London, likely during a tour with his acting company, the Chamberlain's Men (around 1594) . His confession that in his nature reign'd/All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood (9-10) , illustrates that his passions have no doubt been aroused by other acquaintances. This becomes even more apparent if we read Sonnet 110, in which the poet admits that his infidelities fulfilled a need to reclaim his youth: These blenches gave my heart another youth (7) . The theme continues throughout Sonnets 111-120, and the poet uses many terms for the same crime: stain, frailties (109): offences (110): harmful deeds, infection (111): shames (112): diseased (118): transgression (120): etc. Many scholars believe that Shakespeare's relationship with his dear friend (likely the Earl of Southampton) is more than platonic and few sonnets lend credibility to this argument more so than 109-120. Although the poet freely admits his stain, he insists that through his errors the love he feels for his rose has been strengthened. Sonnet 109 is an apology of sorts, but the poet in no way begs for forgiveness. What we find instead is tender praise finely contrived, perhaps as a valediction (Winifred Nowottny. In New Essays on Shakespeare's Sonnets, New York: AMS,1976, [66]) .