Read The Sonnets and Other Poems Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
The Sonnets and Other Poems (35 page)
777
wanton
lustful
781
Lest
in case
782
closure
enclosure
783
undone
ruined
787
reprove
reject, condemn
789
device
tricks, wily ingenuity
792
bawd
pimp
795
semblance
appearance
796
blotting
tarnishing, staining
797
Which
refers to
beauty
hot tyrant
i.e. lust
stains
sexually defiles
bereaves
robs, plunders
806
text
theme on which one speaks
green
young, inexperienced
808
teen
sorrow, affliction
813
laund
glade, open space in a wood
apace
swiftly
816
eye
sight
818
late-embarkèd
recently departed on a ship
friend
could also mean “lover”
820
ridges
crests
contend
strive in conflict
821
pitchy
intensely black (“pitch” is a tarlike substance)
822
Fold in
enfold, envelop
824
flood
sea
825
stonished
astonished/bewildered/dismayed
827
confounded
confused/defeated
828
fair … way
i.e. Adonis, whose presence illuminated the path
830
neighbour
neighboring
831
Make … of
echo
832
Passion
lament
deeply
solemnly/loudly
836
extemporally
spontaneously, improvised
837
thrall
captive
dote
infatuatedly fond/foolish
839
heavy
sad
anthem
song in which two voices sing in response to each other
845
copious
abundant, verbally elaborate
847
withal
with
848
parasites
flatterers
849
tapsters
innkeepers
850
humour
mood, whim
fantastic wits
young men with fanciful ideas and wild notions
854
moist cabinet
dewy dwelling (lark’s nest on the ground)
860
clear
shining
862
influence
flow of power thought to emit from stars and planets
863
a son
i.e. Adonis, mortal but brighter than the sun (on which “son” puns)
864
May
who may
865
myrtle
the evergreen shrub or small tree was sacred to Venus
866
o’erworn
gone by
868
hearkens
listens
870
coasteth
approaches/pursues at a distance (hunting term)
cry
yelping of hounds
875
milch doe
lactating female deer
dugs
teats, udder
876
brake
thicket
877
are … bay
have cornered the prey, forcing it to turn to defend itself
879
folds
coils
882
Appals
dismays, terrifies
confounds
overcomes
883
chase
animal that is hunted
887
curst
fierce, savage
888
strain court’sy
are excessively polite regarding (i.e. hang back)
cope
encounter, fight
889
dismal
ominous
890
surprise
ambush
894
basely fly
run away in a cowardly manner
stay the field
remain on the battlefield
895
ecstasy
frenzy (of anxiety)
899
Bids
commands
901
frothy
foaming
903
sinews
nerves
906
rate
berate, angrily reprove
murther
murder/(being) a murderer
907
spleens
impulses
909
mated
checked, thwarted
911
respects
considerations/intentions
naught … respecting
heeding nothing at all/incapable of proper thinking
912
In hand
preoccupied
914
caitiff
wretch
916
sovereign plaster
sure remedy (i.e.
licking
)
919
ill-resounding
harshly echoing
920
flap-mouthed
a mouth with broad, hanging lips
921
welkin
sky
volleys … voice
i.e. barks repeatedly
923
Clapping
pressing down, fixing
926
prodigies
extraordinary events, regarded as omens
928
Infusing
imbuing, filling
dreadful
terrifying
929
up
in
930
exclaims on
cried out on, loudly accuses
931
Hard-favoured
harsh-featured
932
divorce
separator
933
earth’s worm
i.e. creature that feeds on dead bodies
939
no eyes
Death’s face is traditionally represented as a skull with empty eye sockets
941
mark
target
dart
arrow
942
cleaves
splits
943
he had
Adonis would have
947
golden arrow
i.e. that causing love (as opposed to Cupid’s lead arrow, which provoked loathing)
fled
hastened
948
ebon
ebony (wood)/black
950
heavy
sorrowful
953
mortal vigour
deadly strength (an oxymoron, as
vigor
refers to the strength or attributes of living things)
954
rigour
harshness, pitilessness
956
vailed
lowered in defeat
who
which
sluices
dams, floodgates
957
crystal tide
i.e. flow of tears
960
course
flow, current
961
lend and borrow
reflect one another
963
crystals
mirrors (or possibly “magic crystals”)
967
Variable
changeable, fluctuating
passions
strong emotions/sorrow/means of expressing suffering
throng
crowd around and press upon
968
become
befit, suit
969
entertained
received, given hearing
labours so
makes such efforts (to be supreme)
972
consulting for
conferring about/planning
973
this
this time, now
hollo
huntsman’s call to his hounds
975
imagination
image, train of thought
981
orient
lustrous, shining (used of
pearls
)
983
foul
dirty
sluttish
grimy/immoral, whorish (as all men tread on it)
985
hard-believing
incredulous, skeptical
987
weal
happiness, well-being
991
wrought
made
993
called … naught
claimed Death was worthless
995
clepes
calls
996
Imperious supreme
imperial ruler
999
Whenas
when
1000
still severe
always rigorous in punishment
1001
shadow
dark presence/ghost
1002
railed on
loudly abused
1004
wreaked
revenged
1006
act
i.e. utter his words
1010
suspect
suspicion
extenuate
seek to excuse
1012
insinuate
ingratiate herself
1013
trophies
memorial monuments erected after wars
1015
Jove
supreme Roman god
1018
mutual … kind
i.e. universal destruction, the end of the world
1021
fond
foolish/infatuated
1022
hemmed with
surrounded by
1024
with false bethinking
misguidedly
1026
but late
only recently
1027
lure
bunch of feathers used by keepers to recall a hawk (i.e. deceptively enticing)
1029
unfortunately
ill-fatedly
1038
cabins
caves, i.e. eye sockets
1039
office
function
1040
disposing
direction, management
1041
still
always
1043
Who
refers to the heart
perplexèd
confused/ afflicted
1044
suggestion
prompting/incitement
1045
tributary subject
one who acknowledges subordination and pays homage
1046
wind … ground
thought to be the cause of earthquakes
1048
confound
throw into confusion, overwhelm
1049
surprise
ambush
1051
threw unwilling light
eyes were thought to emit light, which enabled them to see
1052
trenched
gouged, dug (but, like
flank
, the word also had the military sense it does now)
1053
flank
fleshy side between ribs and hip
wonted
customary
1054
purple
blood-red
1056
But stole
that did not steal
1059
passions
expresses her grief