William Shakespeare. 1564-1616
163. Sonnets xix
1 min to read
110 words

TH' expense of Spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust; Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight; Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had, Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad: Mad in pursuit, and in possession so; Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.   All this the world well knows; yet none knows well   To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

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William Shakespeare. 1564-1616
164. Sonnets xx
1 min to read
113 words
Return to The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900






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