A Sonnet (or short poem) from a collection written by William Shakespeare, published in 1609.

#14

Synopsis:

As astrologers predict the future from the stars, so the poet reads the future in the “constant stars” of the young man’s eyes, where he sees that if the young man breeds a son, truth and beauty will survive; if not, they die when the young man dies.

 

Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck,

And yet methinks I have astronomy—

But not to tell of good or evil luck,

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons’ quality;

Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,

Pointing to each his thunder, rain, and wind,

Or say with princes if it shall go well

By oft predict that I in heaven find.

But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,

And, constant stars, in them I read such art

As truth and beauty shall together thrive

If from thyself to store thou wouldst convert;

 Or else of thee this I prognosticate:

 Thy end is truth’s and beauty’s doom and date.

(Project Gutenberg, Public Domain)