Sonnet 16: but Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way
Sonnet 16: but Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way - meaning Summary
Preserve Self Through Offspring
Shakespeare urges a young man to fight Time by a mightier means than poetry: beget children to prolong his beauty and identity. The speaker contrasts his own "barren rhyme" with the living continuation that offspring provide, arguing that neither Time nor verse can fully preserve the youth. Giving oneself away through procreation keeps the self alive in the world, drawn out by one’nother’ody.
Read Complete AnalysesBut wherefore do not you a mightier way Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time, And fortify your self in your decay With means more blessèd than my barren rhyme? Now stand you on the top of happy hours, And many maiden gardens yet unset, With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers, Much liker than your painted counterfeit: So should the lines of life that life repair Which this, Time’s pencil, or my pupil pen Neither in inward worth nor outward fair Can make you live your self in eyes of men. To give away your self keeps your self still, And you must live drawn by your own sweet skill.
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