Shakespeare's Sonnets (1923) Yale/Text/Sonnet 90

by William Shakespeare

For other versions of this work, see Sonnet 90 (Shakespeare).

Layout 2

90

Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now;
Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross,
Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow,
And do not drop in for an after-loss: 4
Ah! do not, when my heart hath 'scap'd this sorrow,
Come in the rearward of a conquer'd woe;
Give not a windy night a rainy morrow,
To linger out a purpos'd overthrow. 8
If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last,
When other petty griefs have done their spite,
But in the onset come: so shall I taste
At first the very worst of fortune's might; 12
And other strains of woe, which now seem woe,
Compar'd with loss of thee will not seem so.

 

2 cross: thwart
4 drop in: come in suddenly
6 Cf. n.
8 linger out: prolong
11 onset: first attack
13 strains: emotions