Shakespeare's Sonnet 43
When most I wink,
then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they
view things unrespected,
But when I sleep,
in dreams they look on thee
And, darkly bright,
are bright in dark reflected.
Then thou, whose shadow
shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow's
form form happy show
To the clear day with
thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes
thy shade shines so!
How would, I say,
mine eyes be blessed made,
By looking on thee
in the living day,
When in dead night
thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep
on sightless eyes doth stay!
All days are nights
to see till I see thee,
And nights bright
days when dreams do show thee me.
Overview of Sonnets - Rhyme,
Meter, and Scansion - Dramatic Interpretations
- Wordplay and Other Poetic Devices
- Sonnet as Part of a Sequence
- Historical and Biographical Context
- Links and Bibliography