Sonnet · Fair Youth Sonnets

Sonnet 33

Full many a glorious morning have I seen

Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye,

Kissing with golden face the meadows green,

Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;

Anon permit the basest clouds to ride

With ugly rack on his celestial face,

And from the forlorn world his visage hide,

Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace:

Even so my sun one early morn did shine,

With all triumphant splendour on my brow;

But out! alack! he was but one hour mine,

The region cloud hath mask’d him from me now.

Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;

Suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth.

What it's about

The poet compares the young man's temporary absence or coldness to a sun obscured by clouds. The turn is forgiving: just as weather isn't the sun's fault, the youth's withdrawal isn't a betrayal worthy of resentment. Love survives the eclipse.

In plain English

I've watched countless beautiful mornings where the sun floods the hilltops and valleys with gold, turning everything luminous and magical. But then clouds roll in, thick and ugly, and cover that radiant face until the sun disappears into the west—leaving the world dimmed and abandoned.

My young friend was the same. He shone on me one morning with brilliant warmth and glory. But within an hour, clouds had masked him from my sight. Yet I don't blame him for this—even the sun itself gets obscured by weather, so why should I hold it against him when he does?

Lines that stick

  • Full many a glorious morning have I seen
  • Even so my sun one early morn did shine
  • Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth

Themes

  • love
  • forgiveness
  • youth
  • constancy
  • time
In the app

Tap any word to see it explained.

The Fluid Shakespeare app surfaces the glossary inline as you read — no popup, no flow break.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play