As a decrepit father takes delight
To see his active child do deeds of youth,
So I, made lame by Fortune’s dearest spite,
Take all my comfort of thy worth and truth;
For whether beauty, birth, or wealth, or wit,
Or any of these all, or all, or more,
Entitled in thy parts, do crowned sit,
I make my love engrafted, to this store:
So then I am not lame, poor, nor despis’d,
Whilst that this shadow doth such substance give
That I in thy abundance am suffic’d,
And by a part of all thy glory live.
Look what is best, that best I wish in thee:
This wish I have; then ten times happy me!
In plain English
The speaker feels broken down by life—like an aging, crippled father who finds joy watching his healthy child thrive. That's how he lives now: through admiration of the young man's gifts. Whether it's beauty, talent, wealth, status, or sheer ability, the young man has it all, and the speaker lets himself live off that abundance.
By basking in the young man's worth, the speaker stops feeling lame, poor, or worthless. The young man's reality becomes vivid enough to sustain him—a shadow so solid it feels real. The speaker finds everything he needs in reflecting the young man's glory.
The speaker's whole wish comes down to one thing: that the young man keep being his best self. And as long as that wish exists, the speaker is ten times happy.
