Sonnet 149: Canst thou, O cruel, say I love thee not



Canst thou, O cruel, say I love thee not,
When I against my self with thee partake?
Do I not think on thee when I forgot
Am of my self, all tyrant, for thy sake?
Who hateth thee that I do call my friend?
On whom frown'st thou that I do fawn upon?
Nay, if thou lour'st on me, do I not spend
Revenge upon my self with present moan?
What merit do I in my self respect,
That is so proud thy service to despise,
When all my best doth worship thy defect,
Commanded by the motion of thine eyes?
    But, love, hate on, for now I know thy mind:
    Those that can see thou lov'st, and I am blind.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
97

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCEFGFGHH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 583
Words 123
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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    "Sonnet 149: Canst thou, O cruel, say I love thee not" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41452/sonnet-149:-canst-thou,-o-cruel,-say-i-love-thee-not>.

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