Sonnet I How shall I fly when feathers be not mine Though all my wishes skyward do attend? How tie my wounded heartstrings safe to thine So thou to me, like sun to moon, descend? Or if thou wilt not bend thy starry frame, Wishing to keep thy brow o'ercrowned with mist, I'll rise so that thy place shall stay the same But will not then depart from heights unkiss'd. For bargains may be struck and kept with pride When lovers from their just demands ne'er hide.
Sonnet II My lover's eyes are darker than the moon Or are they brighter? I cannot decide. His tender voice makes other's out of tune And shows me how I cannot them abide His movements are of more than feline grace His hands are soft and pale as ivory And though I've rarely seen a stranger face, More perfect looks I should abhor to see For others may be pleasanter in part But all my love remains a work of art.
Sonnet III How is it that I smile when I am sad? From what resource do I derive this strength? I've lost none but a thing I never had To keep it would I go to any length But distance is not measured in a heart So I could weep and say that I've been wronged And yet, as ever, be so far apart From him to whom I swore that I belonged Alas, I blame as though he were untrue I loved him but, poor fool, he never knew.
Sonnet IV If all you love I am, as I am quite, Then why dost thou not love? Dost thou not see A plainly perfect match? If thou art bright, Then why, when thou dost love, love'st thou not me? Instead preferring someone far removed From all you claim to most admire? I would Commit you as a lunatic if proved Thus mad you were my ward for your own good. And yet I'm making light of my own pain Because I finally love, yet love in vain.