Oct 18 2008
Fisking Shakespeare–Do not compare her to a summer’s day. Really.
I don’t know how many times I have heard a nice line or two of poetry used as a ‘love poem’ and done a double-take. The thing is, a lot of these so called poems are not about loving a someone, not at all. And I am not sure who is dumber, the guy that uses them so ineptly or a female who falls for it (or male, Shakespeare’s ‘bud’–to whom the following poem was addressed–was quite possibly male). Can we show a little more erudition in this area? The first poem I would like to see banished from screen, book or–God forbid–real life wooing this this one. Allow me to explain, and translate.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
You’re hot.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But you’re going to get old and ugly.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
My poetry, however, rocks–and will last forever.
So there we have it. This icon of love poetry is in fact really about the male ego. So any man using this poem is basically say his ability to praise you is probably more important that any beauty you might–fleetingly–possess. So let’s drop the darling buds and research a little further. Shakespeare’s poetry did rock, but he wasn’t really a role model in terms of romance. Or at least I doubt the wife and children he deserted to pursue his career thought he was.
Heck, you might want to try writing your own poems. They may suck as verse, but they will express real feelings better than soundbites from a piece of pretty egotism–and in my book it really is the thought that counts.
Don’t you think that you’re being just a touch cynical in your interpretation? I’d read the above as more along the lines of “Your beauty is great, and of course all beauty fades, but these lines will stand as a testimony to it for eternity, thus immortalising it, and therefore you.” - I’d say that he’s expressing a desire to pay lasting homage to what he sees, rather than plugging his own writing.
Well, I have a theory about love poems being actually written by the author to him or herself. I agree more with eb, though, on the interpretation, but I didn’t take the post too seriously anyway.
I am, of course, overstating a little for snark–but definitely belief poems with this natyre should ne be used as praise singing, it is nopt their primary message. But yes, some tongue in the vicinity of some cheek here.
Or there’s always this classy standby… *ahem*
Roses are for love,
Clovers are for luck,
I like your shoes,
Now let’s f*ck.
Feel free to use that ol’ gem. Consider it some free love advice from a master at wooing. ;)
the first two lines state that in his comparison he found the subject to be much better than a summers day. the rest of the poem backs up this statement. he’s not saying “you’re hot, but one day you’ll be ugly.” he’s saying “you’re hot like summer, but summer turns to fall and winter whereas your beauty lasts forever, and that’s why you’re better than a summer’s day.” he’s saying that the subjects beauty will never fade in his eyes.