William Shakespeare. 1564-1616
152. Sonnets viii
1 min to read
121 words

THAT time of year thou may'st in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold— Bare ruin'd choirs where late the sweet birds sang, In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after Sunset fadeth in the West, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.   This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong   To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

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William Shakespeare. 1564-1616
153. Sonnets ix
1 min to read
117 words
Return to The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900






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