Sonnet Thirty-four by William Shakespeare

Click here for a complete INDEX

Sonnet XXXIV

by William Shakespeare

Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,

And make me travel forth without my cloak,

To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way,

Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?

'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,

To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,

For no man well of such a salve can speak

That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace:

Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;

Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:

The offender's sorrow lends but weak relief

To him that bears the strong offence's cross.

Ah! But those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,

And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds.

 

LITERATURE OUT LOUD -- see and hear great literature Audio narrations with synchronized visual text

Click on the player below to hear the audio version of this sonnet.

Sonnet 34