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Sonnet 141
Shakespeare's Sonnets Translation Sonnet 142
Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate, Hate of my sin, grounded on sinful loving. O but with mine compare thou thine own state, And thou shalt find it merits not reproving; Or, if it do, not from those lips of thine, That have profaned their scarlet ornaments And sealed false bonds of love as oft as mine, Robbed others' beds' revénues of their rents. Be it lawful I love thee as thou lov’st those Whom thine eyes woo as mine impórtune thee. Root pity in thy heart, that when it grows, Thy pity may deserve to pitied be. If thou dost seek to have what thou dost hide, By self-example mayst thou be denied.
Love is my sin, and your best virtue is hate,
You hate my sin, both of them come from sinful love.
Oh, if you would only compare my state with yours,
You would see that it does not deserve to be condemned;
Or, if it does, at least not by your lips,
Which have disgraced their scarlet ornaments
And kissed the lips of others in unfaithful liasons as often as mine,
Robbing other people of the sex to which they have a right.
Let it be lawful for me to love you as you love those
Who your eyes woo even as mine beg for your attention.
Plant pity in your heart, so that when it grows,
Through pity you may deserve to be pitied.
If you seek to have what you are hiding from others,
You would be denied it by your own example.
