When I have seen by Time’s fell hand defac’d
The rich proud cost of outworn buried age;
When sometime lofty towers I see down-raz’d,
And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;
When I have seen the hungry ocean gain
Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,
And the firm soil win of the watery main,
Increasing store with loss, and loss with store;
When I have seen such interchange of state,
Or state itself confounded to decay;
Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate
That Time will come and take my love away.
This thought is as a death which cannot choose
But weep to have that which it fears to lose.
Sonnet 64 in modern English
Having seen the glorious monuments of ages past – built by men now dead and buried – defaced by time’s terrible hand; having seen once high towers torn down, and hard brass destroyed by human anger; having seen the hungry ocean flood the shore and firm land fill parts of the sea, each one gaining and losing; having seen the way things change their nature, or even that very nature forced into decay, all that destruction has taught me to think this: that Time will come and take my love away. This thought is like death and I can’t do anything but weep about having something that I’m so afraid of losing.
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The 1609 Quarto sonnet 64 version
WHen I haue Åæeene by times fell hand defaced
The rich proud coÅæt of outworne buried age,
When Åæometime loftie towers I Åæee downe raÅæed,
And braÅæÅæe eternall Åælaue to mortall rage.
When I haue Åæeene the hungry Ocean gaine
Aduantage on the Kingdome of the Åæhoare,
And the firme Åæoile win of the watry maine,
IncreaÅæing Åætore with loÅæÅæe,and loÅæÅæe with Åætore.
When I haue Åæeene Åæuch interchange of Åætate,
Or Åætate it Åæelfe confounded, to decay,
Ruine hath taught me thus to ruminate
That Time will come and take my loue away.
This thought is as a death which cannot chooÅæe
But weepe to haue,that which it feares to looÅæe.
See the British Library’s 1609 Quarto.
So good š now l know better