Sonnet 1 Sonnet 3 Sonnet 12 Sonnet 18 Sonnet 19 Sonnet 20 Sonnet 29 Sonnet 30 Sonnet 33 Sonnet 55 Sonnet 60 Sonnet 65 Sonnet 71 Sonnet 73 Sonnet 94 Sonnet 106 Sonnet 116 Sonnet 126 Sonnet 127 Sonnet 129 Sonnet 130 Sonnet 138 Sonnet 144 Sonnet 146 Sonnet 147

Sonnet 33

Original Text

Full many a glorious morning have I seen Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye, Kissing with golden face the meadows green, Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;

Modern English

I've watched many a glorious morning flatter the mountaintops with its sovereign eye, kissing the green meadows with its golden face, turning pale streams to gold with its heavenly light —

Original Text

Anon permit the basest clouds to ride With ugly rack on his celestial face, And from the forlorn world his visage hide, Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace:

Modern English

then let the lowest clouds come riding in with their ugly masses across that celestial face, hiding its brightness from a desolate world and slipping unseen toward the west in disgrace.

Original Text

Even so my sun one early morn did shine, With all triumphant splendour on my brow; But out! alack! he was but one hour mine, The region cloud hath mask’d him from me now.

Modern English

In just the same way, my sun shone on me one early morning, pouring his full, triumphant splendor over my life; but then — gone, already gone — he was mine for barely an hour, and now a bank of clouds has hidden him from me.

Original Text

Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth; Suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth.

Modern English

Still, I don't love him any less for it. People disappoint — even the sun in heaven fails to shine.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Sonnet 33

Sonnet 33