Brief & Abstract

April 1, 2020 Sonnet 47 William Shakespeare


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For my first episode, I wanted to read my favorite sonnet from one of my favorite authors. The text of Sonnet 47 reads as follows:

Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took,

And each doth good turns now unto the other:
When that mine eye is famish’d for a look,
Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother,
With my love’s picture then my eye doth feast,
And to the painted banquet bids my heart;
Another time mine eye is my heart’s guest,
And in his thoughts of love doth share a part:
So, either by thy picture or my love,
Thy self away, art present still with me;
For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move,
And I am still with them, and they with thee;
Or, if they sleep, thy picture in my sight
Awakes my heart, to heart’s and eyes’ delight.

I think it's appropriate for our day and age, in our time of social distancing. "Love's picture" referred to portraits in Shakespeare's time, but can just as easily refer to pictures on social media or Skype or Zoom calls.

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Brief & AbstractBy Juliana