Sonnet 104: To me, fair friend, you never
can be old
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
,Sonnet 104: To me, fair friend, you never can be old
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold
Have from the forests shook three summers’ pride,
Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.
Ah, yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived:
For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred:
Ere you were born was beauty’s summer dead.
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,Title:
The title of the sonnet is "Sonnet 104: To me, fair friend, you never can be old." This title
suggests that the poem is addressed to a close and cherished friend and revolves around the
idea that the friend's beauty will never fade with age.
Tone:
The tone of the sonnet is affectionate and contemplative. The speaker expresses deep
admiration and affection for the friend, asserting that the friend's beauty remains eternal in
their eyes. There's a sense of time passing and a desire to capture the enduring nature of this
beauty.
Mood:
The mood of the sonnet is nostalgic and reflective. The speaker reminisces about the passage
of time, recalling the changing seasons and how they have witnessed the friend's beauty persist
throughout. There's a sense of melancholy in acknowledging the inevitable progression of age
and the fleeting nature of beauty.
Structure:
The sonnet follows the traditional Shakespearean sonnet structure, consisting of 14 lines with a
rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. It adheres to iambic pentameter, with each line having
ten syllables. The poem is divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final rhymed
couplet (two-line stanza). The structure allows the speaker to present a sequence of
observations about the passage of time and the enduring beauty of the friend.
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, Translation
Original Sonnet Translation into Simple Words
To me, fair friend, you never can be old, To me, dear friend, you can never become old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Because the way you looked when I first saw you,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold Your beauty still appears the same. Three cold
winters
Have from the forests shook three summers’ pride, Have shaken the pride of three summers from the
forests,
Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned Three lovely springs have turned into golden
autumn,
In process of the seasons have I seen, I have seen this happen over the course of the
seasons,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned, Three scents of April have turned into three hot
Junes,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green. Since I first saw you young, but you still appear
youthful.
Ah, yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand, But beauty, like a clock's hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived; Moves and takes away from its own figure, and we
don't notice the passage of time;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand, So your lovely color, which I think still stays the
same,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived: Is changing, and my eyes might be tricked:
For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred: Because of this fear, listen to this, you who are not
yet old:
Ere you were born was beauty’s summer dead. Before you were born, the time of beauty had
already passed.
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