莎士比亚十四行诗第18首汉译
我来比你作夏天，好不好？
不，你比它更可爱，更温和：
暮春的娇花有暴风侵扰，
夏住在人间的时日不多：
有时候天之目亮得太凌人，
他的金容常被云霾掩蔽，
有时因了意外，四季周行，
今天的美明天已不再美丽：
你的永存之夏却不黄萎，
你的美丽亦将长寿万年，
你不会死，死神无从夸嘴，
因为你的名字入了诗篇：
一天还有人活着，有眼睛，
你的名字便将于此常新。
2，李霁野译文
我来将你比作夏天吗?
你比夏天更为可爱,更为温和:
暴风摇落五月的柔嫩花芽,
夏季的租赁期限要短得多:
有的时候太阳照得太热,
他的金色面孔常变阴暗;
每种美有时都会凋零衰谢,
由于机缘,或者由于自然变幻;
但是你的永久夏季不会衰败,
你的美也永远不会丧失;
死亡不至夸口:你在他的阴影里徘徊,
当你在不朽的诗行中度日:——
只要人还能呼吸，眼睛还能看望，
这些诗行就会永存，使你万寿无疆。
3，梁宗岱译文
我怎么能够把你来比作夏天？
你不独比它可爱也比它温婉：
狂风把五月宠爱的嫩蕊作践，
夏天出赁的期限又未免太短：
天上的眼睛有时照得太酷烈，
它那炳耀的金颜又常遭掩蔽：
被机缘或无常的天道所摧折，
没有芳艳不终于雕残或销毁。
但是你的长夏永远不会雕落，
也不会损失你这皎洁的红芳，
或死神夸口你在他影里漂泊，
当你在不朽的诗里与时同长。
只要一天有人类，或人有眼睛，
这诗将长存，并且赐给你生命。
4，梁实秋译文
我可能把你和夏天相比拟？
你比夏天更可爱更温和：
狂风会把五月的花苞吹落地，
夏天也嫌太短促，匆匆而过：
有时太阳照得太热，
常常又遮暗他的金色的脸；
美的事物总不免要凋落，
偶然的，或是随自然变化而流转。
但是你的永恒之夏不会褪色；
你不会失去你的俊美的仪容；
死神不能夸说你在他的阴影里面走着，
如果你在这不朽的诗句里获得了永生；
只要人们能呼吸，眼睛能看东西，
此诗就会不朽，使你永久生存下去。
5，屠岸译文
能不能让我把你比拟作夏日？
你可是更加温和，更加可爱：
狂风会吹落五月的好花儿，
夏季的生命又未免结束得太快：
有时候苍天的巨眼照得太灼热，
他那金彩的脸色也会被遮暗；
每一样美呀，总会离开美而凋落，
被时机或者自然的代谢所摧残；
但是你永久的夏天决不会凋枯，
你永远不会失去你美的仪态；
死神夸不着你在他影子里踯躅，
你将在不朽的诗中与时间同在；
只要人类在呼吸，眼睛看得见，
我这诗就活着，使你的生命绵延。
能否把你比作夏日璀璨？
你却比夏季更可爱温存；
狂风摧残五月花蕊娇妍，
夏天匆匆离去毫不停顿。
苍天明眸有时过于灼热，
金色面容往往蒙上阴翳；
一切优美形象不免褪色，
偶然摧折或自然地老去。
而你如仲夏繁茂不凋谢，
秀雅风姿将永远翩翩；
死神无法逼你气息奄奄，
你将永生与不朽诗篇。
只要人能呼吸眼不盲，
这诗和你将千秋流芳！
7，虞尔昌译文：
你比夏日更其美好温和：
强风诚有吹撼五月可爱的花蕾，
夏之为期全太短暂匆匆忽过：
天上日照有时又何炎炽，
太阳的黄金脸色也复常被阴翡掩没：
美丽的事物终有一天会失去它们的美丽，
只因它们遭遇不测或者自然之变的剥夺。
但是你的常住之夏将要永不消退，
那为你所有之美也将无改观，
当你已在不朽的诗篇中和时间合一
死神便休再夸口你正在他的阴影中盘桓：
斯世尚有人视息，我诗长存予君生命至无极。
8，戴镏龄译文：
我怎样能把你比做夏天？
你比她更可爱也更温和。
五月的娇蕾有暴风震颠，
夏季的寿命很短就渡过。
有时候当空照耀着烈日，
有往往它的光彩转阴淡；
凡是美艳终把美艳消失，
遭受运数和时序的摧残。
你永恒的夏季永不凋零，
而且长把你的美艳保存；
死神难夸你踏他的阴影，
只因永恒的诗和你同春。
天地间能有人鉴赏文采，
这诗就流传就教你永在。
9，杨熙龄译文：
我可否把你来比拟作美丽的夏天？
你比夏天更可爱，也更加温善。
粗暴的风有时会摇落五月的金蕾，
而夏天借与人的，匆匆地就要收回。
时常那苍穹的眼睛炎热地瞅人，
而往往他黄金的脸颜又躲进愁云。
凡美的总要失去其美，无论是偶然，
或者是造物变易的规律，不可避免。
但是你永恒的长夏将永不消逝，
你也永不会把你美的宝藏丧失，
死神不能夸口，说你在他阴影下飘零，
因为你已在不朽的诗篇中永生。
只要世间还有人能阅读，还有人生存，
这篇章将活着，它活着就给你以生命。
10，杜承南、罗义蕴译文：
我怎能把你和夏天相比，
你比夏天更加娇艳温婉，
五月的鲜花在风雨中化作尘泥，
夏天的日子未免过于短暂；
有时上天的明眸照耀地实在酷烈，
它那金色的容颜也常被云遮雾掩；
美总会因受到摧残而转瞬凋谢，
或由于机遇，或源于自然的变幻。
但你永恒的夏天不会逝去，
你具有的千娇百媚也永不凋残，
死神也无法夸口说你徘徊在它的阴影里。
有这不朽的诗篇永远为你作伴，
只要人类两眼能看——一息尚存，
我的诗就长在，使你得到永生。
11，蔡元鑫译文：
我怎么可以将你比作明媚夏季的白昼？
你比夏季更婉丽动人而又更亲切温存：
狂风老是把五月心爱的花蕾摇落了，
而夏令的租期始终又是短短的一瞬；
有时天空那只巨眼照得大地灼热逼人，
他金灿灿面色也常给云雾弄成灰蒙蒙；
每一种美呀终有一朝离开美而衰退，
是由于偶然或是由于自然界改变行程；
不过，你终古不息的夏天决不会消失掉，
你决不会失去你所拥有的倾国倾城，
“死神”也决不会自夸你在他幽影下蹀躞，
要是你生长在这些不朽诗行里与时间同春；
只要人类啊能够呼吸或眼睛能够看，
这诗能存多久，你就能享受多久的韶光。
12，高健译文：
我啊多想把你比作明朗夏天！
但是你比夏天更加温柔娇艳：
狂风会把五月芳菲肆意摧残，
那些美好夏日也常时间太短：
有时那天上的晴光过于焦炙，
有时它那辉煌却又黯无颜色；
美的容貌总有一天会要消逝，
暮去朝来她的明艳必遭剥夺：
但是你的滔滔长夏却不衰歇；
你的美丽却将长在，永葆青春；
死神难夸你在他的荫下蹀躞，
一旦你在不朽诗篇获得永存：
只要一天眼能观看，人能呼吸，
这诗就将不死，并赋生命予你。
13，张梦井译文：
我可否把你与夏日相比？
你比夏日更美丽、温和有节制。
五月的狂风会吹落可爱的花蕾，
夏日的时间倏忽就过多么短促。
有时天空的火眼照得太明，
但它金色的脸盘常常阴沉朦胧，
有时美中之也要凋零，
机遇或自然之进程会使它杂乱无形。
而你的永恒之夏却永不凋零，
你那天仙的面容也永葆青春，
死神也不敢夸口你会进入它的阴影，
在我永恒的诗行中你将与时间永存。
只要人的呼吸尚存，眼睛也能看清，
只要这样存在，我的诗行将给你生命无穷。
14，孙大雨译文；
我可要将你比作初夏的清晖？
你却焕耀得更可爱，也更温婉；
狂风震撼五月天眷宠的嫩蕊，
孟夏的良时便会变得太短暂。
晴空里赤日有时光照得过亮，
它那赫奕的金容会转成阴晦；
被机运或被造化变迁所跌宕，
任何美妙的形象会显得不美。
但你这丰华的永夏不会衰颓，
你不会丧失你这无比的修好；
死亡不会夸，你在它影下低回，
有这些诗行将你的韶光永葆：
只要人们还活着，眼睛还能看，
这首诗便能栩栩赋与你霞丹。
15，丰华瞻译文：
可否把你比作明媚的夏天？
你比夏天更可爱、更温婉：
夏日会起狂风，把五月的苞蕾摧残；
好景能有几时，转眼花事阑珊。
有时天神的眼睛，照地炎热逼人；
他那金黄色的颜面也常蒙上层云。
纵然花卉鲜妍，终于落入泥尘，
不堪摧折凋残，无奈时序转运。
但是你的长夏，永远不会消亡；
你的神采风韵，必将恒久如常。
死神不敢夸说：你在他的阴影中徜徉；
因为我把你写入诗句，使你的丰姿永放光芒。
只要人们能呼吸，眼睛能发亮光，
这首诗便能永存，使你的生命万古辉煌。
16，顾子欣译文：
我不知能否将你比作夏天？
你比夏天更温和也更可爱。
狂风有时将五月的娇蕾摧残，
而夏天的尽期很快就会到来。
有时苍天的巨眼照得太热，
有时他金色的脸庞又黯淡无光；
每一种美都会凋零，或夭折，
或随着时叙代谢自然衰亡。
但你的夏天永远不会消陨，
永远不会丧失你赋有的美貌，
死亡也不能夸耀你徘徊其影，
你将我诗中与时间共存不老；
只要还有人呼吸，眼睛能看见，
我的诗就活着，使你生命绵延。
17，黄杲昕译文：
我可能够拿你同夏天作比较？
但是夏天不像你温和又亲切：
狂风会让五月的娇蕾抖又摇，
而夏天又是过于短促的季节，
有时候天上那眼睛照得太热，
它金色的面庞又常黯淡无光，
任哪种美色都难以永葆美色——
意外或自然变化剥去其盛装。
可是你永恒的夏天不会凋零，
不会丧失你所拥有的那种美——
一旦你在不朽的诗中获永生，
死神难吹嘘你在它影中徘徊：
只要世上有看书的人在呼吸，
这诗就存活并把生命给予你。
18，辜正坤译文：
或许我可用夏日将你作比方，
但你比夏日更可爱也更温良。
夏风狂作常会摧落五月的娇蕊，
夏季的期限也未免还不太长。
有时候天眼如炬人间酷热难当，
但转瞬又金面如晦常惹云遮雾障。
每一种美都终究会凋残零落，
或见弃于机缘，或受挫于天道无常。
然而你永恒的夏季却不会终止，
你优美的形象也永远不会消亡，
死神难夸口说你在它罗网中游荡，
只因你借我的诗行便可长寿无疆。
只要人口能呼吸，人眼看得清，
我这诗就长存，使你万世流芳。
19，施颖洲译文：
让我来把你与夏日比拟？
你是更加可爱，更加温婉；
狂风会摇撼五月的娇蕊，
夏天租借的时日也太短；
有时苍天明眸照耀太热，
他的金容也常常被遮暗；
美中之美也各有时消没，
因意外或天道变化紊乱。
但你永恒的夏不会朦胧，
也不失去你拥有的美丽；
死神难夸你徘徊他影中，
你在永恒诗中与时并滋：
只要有人呼吸，有眼看明，
此诗便将长存，予你永生。
20，蒲度戎译文：
我能否把你同夏日相比？
你啊是更加温柔美丽。
五月会有狂风吹落花朵，
整个夏季又匆匆而过；
有时天上的太阳分外酷热，
那灿烂的容颜又常常被遮；
每一种美呀到时终究凋枯，
时间剥掉它华丽的装束；
但是，你的长夏永在，
你永远拥有你的芳颜，
死神不敢夸口能将你捉走，
穿过悠悠岁月，你在诗中不朽。
只要人能呼吸，眼睛不失明，
我的诗就流传，赐予你永生。
21，陈黎、张芬龄翻译的版本
我该把你比拟做夏天吗？
你比夏天更可爱，更温婉：
狂风会把五月的娇蕊吹落，
夏天出租的期限又太短暂：
有时天上的眼睛照得太热，
他金色的面容常常变阴暗；
一切美的事物总不免凋败，
被机缘或自然的代谢摧残：
但你永恆的夏天不会褪色，
不会失去你所拥有的美善，
死神也不能夸说你在他阴影裡徘徊，
当你在永恆的诗行裡与时间同久长：
只要人们能呼吸或眼睛看得清，
此诗将永存，并且赐给你生命。
22，林文淇译文
夏日怎能與妳譬喻比擬
妳的可愛溫和夏日難及
五月花蕾惡風吹襲落地
夏日租約倏忽轉瞬到期
有時天眼高灼炎炎難耐
更見烏雲常蔽金色面容
古今紅顏難逃紅顏色衰
命運無常季候欺凌作弄
妳的永恆夏日卻將長存
美貌紅顏必也永世不減
死神難誇妳為地府美人
因妳芳名已成不朽詩篇
除非人世已經滅絕無生
此詩必將永傳與汝永恆
23,王道余译文
君自更可爱，君亦更温婉：
五月娇花蕾，狂风吹落散，
夏季何短暂，倏忽已过完。
日头高悬天，有时吐烈焰。
金黄灿烂脸，常常转阴暗；
美丽随时减，日久终不艳，
若非遇不测，自然亦使变。
君当长为夏，历历不暗淡，
美丽君拥有，保留至永远。
死神虽不惭，不敢将君挽。
永恒诗行间，君与时共延。
人若可呼吸，眼睛可看见，
此篇若流传，君生得万年。
24,艾梅译文
你比它更可爱、更温婉：
狂风把五月的花蕊摧残，
夏季时光匆匆、总是如此短暂：
有时炙热异常，像天上灼烧的眼，
它那金色的面容常飘忽闪现。
再美好的事物也终将凋残，
随时间和自然的变化而流转。
但是你的夏日会永远鲜艳，
你将永远拥有这俊美的容颜。
死神也无法夸口让你在它的阴影里逗留，
当你在这不朽的诗句中永远地生息留守：
只要人类还在呼吸，只要眼睛还在阅读，
我这首诗就会存在，你的生命就会存在。
我是否可以把你比喻成夏天？
26,顏斯華译文:
許吾將卿比做明媚夏日？
卿更可愛更知溫柔克制：
五月嫩蕊常遭狂風摧遲，
夏之賃期*則又苦短難滯。
有時九天之眼烈焰狂悍，
時常其金容則受蔽黯淡，
世之美者，其美類皆存難，
有時不測，有時歲月自然；
然卿之永恆夏將不凋殘，
卿之所美者，卿永擁其屬，
當卿隨此永恆詩篇*殖展，
冥神亦難誇卿遊其死谷：
但許人可吐息，目可識丁，
此詩即活，且賦生命與卿。
27,陈若雷译本
可否让我将你比喻为夏天？
但你比夏天更可爱更温婉：
夏风会摇落五月娇嫩的花蕾，
夏季竟然是那样短短的瞬间。
夏日里时有热浪翻滚，烈日炎炎，
但不一会又浓云密布，掩了金颜；
太阳的霞光总归会因日落而消失，
时序的更迭终将会使得丽景摧残。
但你是永恒的夏天绝对不会凋零，
更不可能消褪了你那明媚的美艳；
死神也不敢夸口能挡住你的芳履，
你的倩影已经融入了不朽的诗篇。
只要人类尚存，双眼还能看，
我的诗句必使你的芳名永传。
28,何功杰译本
是否把你比作夏季的美？
可你比夏季更温和可爱：
狂风会吹落五月的花蕾，
夏季赁期太短结束太快 ，
天眼的光焰有时会太强，
金面孔上常有阴云出现：
一切美好事物难免消亡，
或因偶然，或因自然变迁；
但你的长夏将永不消逝，
你的美态将会永远存在：
当把你写进了永恒的诗行里，
死神难夸你会在他影下徘徊：
只要人能呼吸，眼能看见，
这诗行就会让你生命重现。
29,黄新渠译本
我怎样能把你比作夏天？
你比它更可爱也更温和；
五月的娇蕾有暴风震颠，
夏季的寿命很短就度过。
有时候当空照耀着烈日，
又往往它的光彩转阴淡；
凡是美艳终把美艳消失，
遭受运数和时序的摧残。
你永恒的夏季永不凋零，
而且长把你的美艳保存；
死神难夸你踏它的幽影，
只因永恒的诗和你同春。
天地间能有人鉴赏文采，
这诗就流传就教你永在。
30,陈才宇译本
我是否可把你与夏天比美？
31,海外逸士译文：
我欲将君比夏昼，君更娇艳更媚柔。
疾风吹摇五月蕾，夏日苦短行矣休。
时或骄阳何炎炎，常见金乌遭遮掩。
美人之美易消逝，偶失天夺亦可怜。
君之长夏永不逝，君之花容能久驻。
阎罗终未拘君去，不朽君因不朽句。
世间有人人能看，我诗长存君并存。
Sonnet XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
This is one of the most famous of all the sonnets, justifiably so. But it would be a mistake to take it entirely in isolation, for it links in with so many of the other sonnets through the themes of the descriptive power of verse; the ability of the poet to depict the fair youth adequately, or not; and the immortality conveyed through being hymned in these 'eternal lines'. It is noticeable that here the poet is full of confidence that his verse will live as long as there are people drawing breath upon the earth, whereas later he apologises for his poor wit and his humble lines which are inadequate to encompass all the youth's excellence. Now, perhaps in the early days of his love, there is no such self-doubt and the eternal summer of the youth is preserved forever in the poet's lines. The poem also works at a rather curious level of achieving its objective through dispraise. The summer's day is found to be lacking in so many respects (too short, too hot, too rough, sometimes too dingy), but curiously enough one is left with the abiding impression that 'the lovely boy' is in fact like a summer's day at its best, fair, warm, sunny, temperate, one of the darling buds of May, and that all his beauty has been wonderfully highlighted by the comparison.
The 1609 Quarto Version
SHall I compare thee to a Summers day?
Thou art more louely and more temperate:
Rough windes do ?hake the darling buds of Maie,
And Sommers lea?e hath all too ?horte a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heauen ?hines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd,
And euery faire from faire ?ome-time declines,
By chance,or natures changing cour?e vntrim'd:
But thy eternall Sommer ?hall not fade,
Nor loo?e po??e??ion of that faire thou ow'?t,
Nor ?hall death brag thou wandr'?t in his ?hade,
When in eternall lines to time thou grow'?t,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can ?ee,
So long liues this,and this giues life to thee,
Commentary
1. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
This is taken usually to mean 'What if I were to compare thee etc?' The stock comparisons of the loved one to all the beauteous things in nature hover in the background throughout. One also remembers Wordsworth's lines:
We'll talk of sunshine and of song,
And summer days when we were young,
Sweet childish days which were as long
As twenty days are now.
Such reminiscences are indeed anachronistic, but with the recurrence of words such as 'summer', 'days', 'song', 'sweet', it is not difficult to see the permeating influence of the Sonnets on Wordsworth's verse.
2. Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
The youth's beauty is more perfect than the beauty of a summer day. more temperate - more gentle, more restrained, whereas the summer's day might have violent excesses in store, such as are about to be described.
3. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
May was a summer month in Shakespeare's time, because the calendar in use lagged behind the true sidereal calendar by at least a fortnight.
darling buds of May - the beautiful, much loved buds of the early summer; favourite flowers.
4. And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Legal terminology. The summer holds a lease on part of the year, but the lease is too short, and has an early termination (date).
5. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
Sometime = on occasion, sometimes;
the eye of heaven = the sun.
6. And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
his gold complexion = his (the sun's) golden face. It would be dimmed by clouds and on overcast days generally.
7. And every fair from fair sometime declines,
All beautiful things (every fair) occasionally become inferior in comparison with their essential previous state of beauty (from fair). They all decline from perfection.
8. By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
By chance accidents, or by the fluctuating tides of nature, which are not subject to control, nature's changing course untrimmed.
untrimmed - this can refer to the ballast (trimming) on a ship which keeps it stable; or to a lack of ornament and decoration. The greater difficulty however is to decide which noun this adjectival participle should modify. Does it refer to nature, or chance, or every fair in the line above, or to the effect of nature's changing course? KDJ adds a comma after course, which probably has the effect of directing the word towards all possible antecedents. She points out that nature's changing course could refer to women's monthly courses, or menstruation, in which case every fair in the previous line would refer to every fair woman, with the implication that the youth is free of this cyclical curse, and is therefore more perfect.
9. But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Referring forwards to the eternity promised by the ever living poet in the next few lines, through his verse.
10. Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall it (your eternal summer) lose its hold on that beauty which you so richly possess. ow'st = ownest, possess.
By metonymy we understand 'nor shall you lose any of your beauty'.
11. Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
Several half echoes here. The biblical ones are probably 'Oh death where is thy sting? Or grave thy victory?' implying that death normally boasts of his conquests over life. And Psalms 23.3.: 'Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil ' In classical literature the shades flitted helplessly in the underworld like gibbering ghosts. Shakespeare would have been familiar with this through Virgil's account of Aeneas' descent into the underworld in Aeneid Bk. VI.
12. When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
in eternal lines = in the undying lines of my verse. Perhaps with a reference to progeny, and lines of descent, but it seems that the procreation theme has already been abandoned.
to time thou grow'st - you keep pace with time, you grow as time grows.
13. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
For as long as humans live and breathe upon the earth, for as long as there are seeing eyes on the eart.
14. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
That is how long these verses will live, celebrating you, and continually renewing your life. But one is left with a slight residual feeling that perhaps the youth's beauty will last no longer than a summer's day, despite the poet's proud boast.
The sonnet pays a tribute to the exquisite beauty of Shakespeare’s companion. The poet seeks his consent to liken him to a summer’s day. The beauty is therefore such that it is full of sunshine and brightness. It imparts light to others in the form of inspiration; the sonnet itself bears testimony to this fact. The day mentioned here can refer to either a single day or a single period of summer. His charm is everlasting and constant. The daring buds of May are shaken off too soon; the period of summer is also too short. The rose metaphor is humanized in the phrase “the darling buds of May”. In the phrase “eye of heaven”, the gap between the divine world, human world and world of Nature is bridged. Sometimes, the Eye of Heaven, the Sun shines too hot .And owing to its stinging rays, the summer’s brightness to itself, or the beholder gets dimmed. .In the course of time, everything gets altered as Change is inevitable. Even climates or seasons are subject to change. This may occur either due to the onslaught of Time, or purely owing to Chance. Every beautiful object will thus continue to exist as a thing of the past; with the present not imparting any real significance to it.
But the beauty of the friend shall never cease to exist. The poet declares that his friend’s eternal summer is for here to stay. The friend’s loveliness will be eternalized through the poet’s sonnets. Death, the Eternal Vanquisher cannot win over him as he will be immortalized in the framework of the poet’s sonnet. The phrase “to time thou grow’st” is interpreted by W.G.Ingram: he asserts that ‘to grow’ implies to ‘coalesce” or “become incorporated in”, as a graft coalesces with its parent stock. Likewise, the friend will continue to exist along with time, as long as Time lasts. This also alludes to the deeper personal integration that he has built over time with the friend as critics point out.
The poem concludes on a note affirming the ever- lasting quality and the power of poetry. It stresses the power and permanence of poetry. So long as men continue to breathe and eyes can see(read),so long lives this poem, and the poem itself lends life to the friend. His friend will be immortalized in these lines; yet their eternity depends in turn, on the continuity of the human race. J.W.Lever asserts how Shakespeare stresses his innermost convictions regarding the values of beauty and truth, and their externalization through love. Compare these lines to Spenser’s Sonnet 75 that essays the 'attempt' to immortalize his lady-love in the sands of time through his poetry.
"Sonnet XVIII" is also known as, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" It was written around 1599 and published with over 150 other sonnets in 1609 by Thomas Thorpe.
The first 126 sonnets are written to a youth, a boy, probably about 19, and perhaps specifically, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke. His initials, W.H., appear in Thorpe's dedication, and the first volume of Shakespeare's plays, published by two of his fellow actors, Herminge and Condell, after Shakespeare's death, was dedicated to William Herbert.
"Sonnet XVIII" is one of the most famous of all of Shakespeare's sonnets. It is written in the sonnet style that Shakespeare preferred, 14 lines long with three quatrains (four rhymed lines) and a couplet (a pair of rhymed lines).
The Sonnet praises the youth's beauty and disposition, comparing and contrasting the youth to a summer day. Then the sonnet immortalizes the youth through the "eternal lines" of the sonnet.
First Quatrain
The first line announces the comparison of the youth with a summer day. But the second line says that the youth is more perfect than a summer day. "More temperate" can be interpreted as more gentle. A summer day can have excesses such as rough winds. In Shakespeare's time May was considered a summer month, a reference in the third line. The fourth line contains the metaphor that summer holds a lease on the year, but the lease is of a short duration.
Second Quatrain
This quatrain details how the summer can be imperfect, traits that the youth does not possess. The fifth line personifies the sun as "the eye of heaven" which is sometimes too scorchingly hot. On the other hand, "his gold complexion," the face of the sun, can be dimmed by overcast and clouds. According to line 7, all beautiful things (fair means beautiful) sometimes decline from their state of beauty or perfection by chance accidents or by natural events. "Untrimmed" in line 8 means a lack of decoration and perhaps refers to every beauty from line 7.
Third Quatrain
This quatrain explains that the youth will possess eternal beauty and perfection. In line 10 "ow'st" is short for ownest, meaning possess. In other words, the youth "shall not lose any of your beauty." Line 11 says that death will not conquer life and may refer to the shades of classical literature (Virgil's Aeneid) who wander helplessly in the underworld. In line 12 "eternal lines" refers to the undying lines of the sonnet. Shakespeare realized that the sonnet is able to achieve an eternal status, and that one could be immortalized within it.
The Final Couplet
The couplet is easy to interpret. For as long as humans live and breathe on earth with eyes that can see, this is how long these verses will live. And these verses celebrate the youth and continually renew the youth's life.
"Shall I Compare Thee" is one of the most often quoted sonnets of Shakespeare. It is complex, yet elegant and memorable, and can be quoted by men and women alike. It has been enjoyed by all generations since Shakespeare and will continue to be enjoyed "so long as men can breathe, or eyes can see."
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