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Sonnet 129

Original Text

The expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action: and till action, lust Is perjur’d, murderous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;

Modern English

The spending of life's energy in a wasteland of shame — that is lust in action: and before the act, lust is lying, murderous, bloody, steeped in blame, savage, extreme, brutal, cruel, not to be trusted;

Original Text

Enjoy’d no sooner but despised straight; Past reason hunted; and no sooner had, Past reason hated, as a swallow’d bait, On purpose laid to make the taker mad:

Modern English

Enjoyed no sooner than despised outright; hunted past all reason; and no sooner possessed, hated past all reason — like a swallowed hook, baited on purpose to drive the taker mad:

Original Text

Mad in pursuit and in possession so; Had, having, and in quest, to have extreme; A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy propos’d; behind a dream.

Modern English

Mad in pursuit, and in possession just the same; had, having, and in the hunt for it — all extreme; a bliss while happening, and once over, a misery; before, a promised joy; after, nothing but a dream.

Original Text

All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Modern English

All this the world knows perfectly well; yet no one knows well enough to avoid the heaven that leads men straight into this hell.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Sonnet 129

Sonnet 129