Sonnet 56: Sweet love, renew thy force, be it not said

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



Sweet love, renew thy force! Be it not said
Thy edge should blunter be than appetite,
Which but today by feeding is allayed,
Tomorrow sharpened in his former might.
So, love, be thou, although today thou fill
Thy hungry eyes, even till they wink with fulness,
Tomorrow see again, and do not kill
The spirit of love with a perpetual dullness.
Let this sad interim like the ocean be
Which parts the shore where two contracted new
Come daily to the banks, that, when they see
Return of love, more blest may be the view;
    As call it winter, which being full of care
    Makes summer's welcome thrice more wished, more rare.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
126

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBDEDEFGEGHH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 617
Words 114
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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    "Sonnet 56: Sweet love, renew thy force, be it not said" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41505/sonnet-56:-sweet-love,-renew-thy-force,-be-it-not-said>.

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