67
Ah! wherefore with infection should he live,
And with his presence grace impiety,
That sin by him advantage should achieve,
And lace itself with his society? 4
Why should false painting imitate his cheek,
And steal dead seeing of his living hue?
Why should poor beauty indirectly seek
Roses of shadow, since his rose is true? 8
Why should he live, now Nature bankrupt is,
Beggar'd of blood to blush through lively veins?
For she hath no exchequer now but his,
And, proud of many, lives upon his gains. 12
O, him she stores, to show what wealth she had
In days long since, before these last so bad.
68
Thus is his cheek the map of days outworn,
When beauty liv'd and died as flowers do now,
Before these bastard signs of fair were born,
Or durst inhabit on a living brow; 4
Before the golden tresses of the dead,
The right of sepulchres, were shorn away,
To live a second life on second head;
Ere beauty's dead fleece made another gay: 8
In him those holy antique hours are seen,
Without all ornament, itself and true,
Making no summer of another's green,
Robbing no old to dress his beauty new; 12
And him as for a map doth Nature store,
To show false Art what beauty was of yore.
1 with infection: in this infected world
4 lace itself: decorate itself
6 dead seeing: a dead appearance
7 indirectly; cf. n.
13 stores: treasures up
1 map: picture
3 bastard signs of fair; Cf. n.
6 The right of sepulchres: property belonging to the tomb
9 antique hours: hours of antiquity
10 itself and true: natural and sincere
