35
No more be griev'd at that which thou hast done:
Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud;
Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,
And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud. 4
All men make faults, and even I in this,
Authorising thy trespass with compare,
Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss,
Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are; 8
For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense,—
Thy adverse party is thy advocate,—
And 'gainst myself a lawful plea commence:
Such civil war is in my love and hate, 12
That I an accessary needs must be
To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me.
36
Let me confess that we two must be twain,
Although our undivided loves are one:
So shall those blots that do with me remain,
Without thy help, by me be borne alone. 4
In our two loves there is but one respect,
Though in our lives a separable spite,
Which, though it alter not love's sole effect,
Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight. 8
I may not evermore acknowledge thee,
Lest my bewailed guilt should do thee shame,
Nor thou with public kindness honour me,
Unless thou take that honour from thy name: 12
But do not so; I love thee in such sort
As thou being mine, mine is thy good report.
2 fountains: springs
3 stain: dim
6 Authorising: sanctioning
with compare: by these comparisons
7 amiss: fault
8 Excusing thy sins; cf. n.
9 sense; cf. n.
13 accessary: accessory, helper
14 sourly: cruelly
5 respect: consideration, regard
6 separable: dividing, separating
13,14 But do not so . . . good report; cf. n.
