Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
Now is the time that face should form another;
Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,
Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.
For where is she so fair whose unear’d womb
Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?
Or who is he so fond will be the tomb
Of his self-love, to stop posterity?
Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime:
So thou through windows of thine age shall see
Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time.
But if thou live, remember’d not to be,
Die single, and thine image dies with thee.
Read Sonnet 3 in Easy, Modern English:
Look in your mirror and tell the face you see
that it’s time it should create another;
If you do not renew yourself
you would be depriving the world, and stop some woman from becoming a mother.
For where is the lovely woman whose unploughed womb
would not appreciate the way you plow your field?
Or who is he foolish enough to love himself so much
as to neglect reproducing?
You are the mirror of your mother, and she is the mirror of you, and in you,
she recalls the lovely April of her youth.
In the same way, you will see your youth in your own children,
in spite of the wrinkles caused by age.
But if you live your life avoiding being remembered
you will die single and your image will die with you.
Listen to Sir Patrick Stewart read Shakespeare’s sonnet 3
Sonnet 3 as Originally Published in The 1609 Quarto
Here’s the exact wording and spelling of Sonnet 3, as published in Shakespeare’s 1609 Quarto:
Looke in thy glaſſe and tell the face thou veweſt,
Now is the time that face ſhould forme an other,
Whoſe freſh repaire if now thou not reneweſt,
Thou doo’ſt beguile the world,vnbleſſe ſome
mother.
For where is ſhe ſo faire whoſe vn-eard wombe
Diſdaines the tillage of thy huſbandry?
Or who is he ſo fond will be the tombe,
Of his ſelfe loue to ſtop poſterity?
Thou art thy mothers glaſſe and ſhe in thee
Calls backe the louely Aprill of her prime,
So thou through windowes of thine age ſhalt ſee,
Diſpight of wrinkles this thy goulden time.
But if thou liue remembred not to be,
Die ſingle and thine Image dies with thee.
Interested in Shakespeare’s sonnet 3? If so you can get some additional free information by visiting our friends over at PoemAnalysis to read their analysis of sonnet 3.
Excellent interpretation :- puts Shakespeare’s intention in a present day context.
There’s is no woman whom would not appreciate the tillage of thy husbandry
Your ‘husbandry’ is not wanted
sincerely, a woman
nailed it…
Sonnet 3
The sonnet is about bringing kids into the world, something not everybody likes or wants. It is not true, you will not die alone because you decided not to have children.
Adrian Aciego
1 BGU “B” ORTEGA Y GASSET
or even can have children themselves! Infertile people have existed since humanity began so telling them they’re going to die alone because they cannot have children is pretty a shitty premise. in my opinion anyways
Cut my heart this, his view of life and time, writing to a younger one, warning that enjoyment by oneself leads to emptiness. He says: Can’t you see, your mother sees through you. This is you too.