Shall I compare thee to a summers day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day ?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

or Comment

really?!
Written by iloveenglish on 2010-02-12 17:26:58 IP:

all of you are saying you understand this poem, but do you really? i learned about it and studied it, and just to let everybody know, he is not talking about a man or a woman, he is talking about poetry. He is saying how beautiful poetry is in general. "When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;" when he states this line, he is saying that he is talking about poetry. And that it's beauty will NEVER die.

Written by kristian mccoury on 2010-02-03 10:22:33 IP:

im doing a resurch paper on poets and im going with this one beacause it was a really good one and i wish i met this person.

anon
Written by anon on 2009-11-09 12:04:56 IP:

this poem is soo romantic, i'd love it if a guy quoted bits to me

summers day
Written by shannon on 2009-10-13 14:24:04 IP:

i love this poem so much it makes me think of how me and this one guy used to date and he would quote Shakespeare to me cause he knew i loved poetry. i want to be a writer when i grow up and i want to write poetry also. i suggest to all the guys that they quote Shakespeare to their girlfriends cause it will make them glow and love you even more.

Shakesphere's Message
Written by adelina on 2009-09-16 18:02:08 IP:

Shakeshpere hath written about man or women. I oft do percieve it as man. There are quote's in there upon which are written, him, and men. Tis be it so he may be talking about that of a Love that is unbreakable until the passing of his life. He is in a passion flowing like a river of Love for this person. He compares thee to a summer's day because...Summer is when everything has bloomed. When everytrhing start's living the plants, the trees, the sun starts shinning, the wind starts blowing upon the meadow beds, when the stars are shown the best at night, when everything comes out and feels alive, when you life's beauty at it's fullest.

Unknown
Written by Unknown on 2009-08-14 03:25:06 IP:

This is my fav poem ever written by Shakespeare. He seems like the most interesting person; I wish I could've met him. He is my fav poet ever and I love a lot of poets. I fervently hope that everyone whom reads his screenplays, sonnets, and poems enjoys them all!

Written by Aarianna on 2009-07-01 00:19:59 IP:

wow beautiful! :grin

Written by vanessa on 2009-06-12 14:20:15 IP:

I LOVE IT

awwwwwwwww
Written by janalia on 2009-05-21 14:55:01 IP:

i love this poem. :cry

Written by P.R. Esley on 2009-02-17 10:22:41 IP:

Honestly, one cannot read this to whom they love.

This poem is completely personal. Practally a letter from one to another. That said, it is most likely the most powerful love poem every created, but not capable of being used by one person to another.

It's so powerful, it was meant for one person. And she still lives.

Written by Juliet on 2009-02-12 18:03:11 IP:

I love that it's about him!

iLuvdogs99
Written by Jennifer on 2009-01-02 14:05:01 IP:

i love this poem i think it a way to exspress yourself in true love my boy friend read it to me i was so happy :grin

love is gr8
Written by dan on 2008-12-09 04:41:58 IP:

null i love my girl and it is perfect for her
i nearly cried listening to it

Written by dan on 2008-12-09 04:37:25 IP:

i will send it to my gal

True Loves Bliss
Written by MJ on 2008-11-26 06:17:42 IP:

I have loved this poem for years, when I first read it when I was 10 it made me feel happy tho I didn’t understand it completely and now that I’m older (15) I cant help but feel the bliss as I truly realise how much love William Shakespeare must have felt for this person and I personally don’t see why it matters if the person he kept so close to his heart was a man or woman. It is unbelievably sweet how Shakespeare openly states that no matter what comes aging or death he will always keep this person in his heart forever. Now that is true loves words. Also I am personally touched by these words as they make me realise how lucky I am to have a special boy in my life.

cool
Written by jason talavera on 2008-11-20 10:34:07 IP:

this so awsome

BEST WAY TO GET A GIRL
Written by JASON on 2008-11-19 10:06:45 IP:

SAY THAT TO A PREP GIRL AND YOUR GARENTEED TO GET HER

Written by janina on 2008-11-08 07:28:53 IP:

i don't really get it.

Great!
Written by Dayle on 2008-10-17 18:02:35 IP:

I am only 10 and I completly understand this poem. A relitive is getting married, and i'm sort of in charge of it and, I came up with a great idea, the groom will say a poem to the bride! So I searched the web for love poems, and I found this and I thought it was wonderful!

help me
Written by hanif on 2008-10-07 18:25:44 IP:

what are literature trem like figurative language simile , metaphor , personfication and alliteration are in this poem shall i compare thee to a summer day :cry

Written by Irma Aguilar on 2008-09-11 19:56:29 IP:

I FEEL LIKE THIS POEM SHOWS THE PASHON THAT THEIT IS IN LOVE.THIS IS ONE OF MY ALTIME FAVORIT POEMS.... :cry

Written by AK on 2008-09-03 20:33:25 IP:

this is one of my favorite poems from Robert frost. He is also one of my favorite poets.

Wow
Written by Mykal on 2008-06-05 21:34:35 IP:

Im 11 and i understand this this is truly the best poem of all times. IM sending this to me girl immediatly. This poem is so fll of joy it makes me want t cry.. :cry

Written by tori on 2008-03-27 15:00:39 IP:

Im 14 and i understand it... i would send it to my ALMOST boyfriend, if it wasnt for my \"friend\" i would be going out with him not her... OH WELL idk if i should send it to him...

Written by Guest on 2008-03-20 21:35:46 IP:

Shakespeare is a genius. This poem has a double meaning as it could have been written for a man or about a man. The perons is known as the Fair Lord...

Awsome
Written by Bull on 2008-03-01 17:49:24 IP:

WOW I'm a 16 years old student and I feel great emotions from this speech O and I understand it by the way

Written by leah on 2008-02-10 14:49:23 IP:

To the person who's wondering what this poem means, Shakespeare is first comparing his lover to a summers day, and saying that he or she is even more beautiful than that (first two lines.) In lines three through 8, he says that natures beauty fades and changes and that it doesnt always last. In lines 9 and 10, he says that her beauty isn't like the beauty of nature because it will never fade. In lines 11 ans 12, he says that even death shall not take away her beauty because it is eternal and she will be beautiful forever. lines 13 and 14 he tells her that for as long as man lives everyone will see her unparalleled beauty. but hun, if you want to get your girlfriend back, dont say something you dont understand or mean. find something that you really connect with and that you know describes what you feel. be sincere. write a poem yourself, or if you still want something famous, try e. e. cummings. he has some interesting work.

Aj
Written by Aziz on 2008-01-24 14:36:06 IP:

plss i wanna know why William Shakespeare wrote this poetry and what was the reason?
plzzz i need answer

i get it and its beautiful
Written by megan on 2008-01-17 09:01:18 IP:

it means he loves a woman and he compares her to summer ( saying how hot she is) and he is trying to win her over with romantic words. ( the guy in the poem) I am pretty sure that is what it means. And im only 13. but i love poetry all the same! Everyone look up the poem Sarah. Then type in my name is sarah i am but 3.
Its so sad! it made me cry!

Confused
Written by Leon on 2007-12-09 06:56:08 IP:

Can someone help me my girlfrend broke up with me and i still love her and i thought that if i send her shakespeare poetry she would forgive me? every1 says this is so romantic but i dont understand this poem? :cry

Written by Hannah on 2007-10-24 23:11:48 IP:

(L)
i dont really have any words.
its just simply beautiful.
some of his best tbh

Written by anon on 2007-10-14 10:52:00 IP:

actually we do not know who he was talking about. It could have been a male or female friend. We do not know, all that we do know is he wrote it from the heart.

me
Written by kelsie on 2007-08-01 21:42:05 IP:

i dont get it

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day
Written by Laney on 2007-05-28 14:58:15 IP:

Actually he was talking about a male friend of his. It's beautiful and speaks so true of our opinion of those we love so hopelessly. One of his bests, I believe, and that is saying something. Its amazing how he says at the end that, through writing this poem, he will make the object of his affection imortal in words, though they will eventually perish in the real world.

may i compare thee to a summer's day
Written by claudia on 2006-12-03 19:50:49 IP:

it's makes me tear up it's such a great poem shakespeare wrote it with love and ture thought no one could ever copy a masterpiece like this so i say that with ture thought

amazing
Written by Guest on 2006-11-21 14:15:50 IP:

It is such an amazing poem. The women he is writing about must be pretty because it sounds like Shakespeare is in love with her. I just adore this poem. It is my favorite.

great
Written by Guest on 2006-10-24 11:45:22 IP:

i really thought this wasa a sgreat poem it reminds me o my lover jc

love
Written by Guest on 2006-08-02 02:43:51 IP:

it makes me cry..huhuhucry

Written by Guest on 2006-05-27 00:55:28 IP:

This is an amazing poem. It's so romantic. He's comparing a woman to an endless summer. Even when she dies, she will still be alive because the poem gives her life. People are still reading this poem, although the person Shakespeare wrote this about is dead, so her memory is kept alive. I absolutely adore this poem.

Written by Guest on 2005-12-29 15:17:19 IP:

great

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