Sonnet #130 by William Shakespeare
Pass the breath mints!
The Bard paints an unflattering portrait of his mistress.
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun [brown],
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked [mingled red and white], red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath than from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak; yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go [walk];
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied [deceived] with false compare [comparison].
Readers: For more “Talk Like Shakespeare Today” posts, click here.
Lisa's History Room 
The word “she” in the closing line may be a source of difficulty to many modern readers. The line may be paraphrased as follows:
“As any woman described in an untruthful manner with exaggerated comparisons.”
(e.g., her voice is like music, her breath is sweeter than perfume, her breast is whiter than snow)
LikeLike
Steve, thanks for the clarifying. I know readers will find it helpful.
LikeLike
I’ve tried looking for an e-mail address to contact you privately but could so here it is.
I really like the picture you’ve done on theis blog post of shakespeare and think it would look great on a poster advertising a shakespeare event in my local area. Could you please let me know who should be asked for their permission please?
Regards
LikeLike
Hi, Martin, I wish I could direct you to the owners of this Shakespeare image but I don’t have that info. A google search is the best way to begin….
LikeLike