Sonnet XVIII: Since the First Look
July 6, 2023Sonnet XV: If That a Loyal Heart
July 6, 2023Sonnet XVII: Why Should I Sing in Verse
Why should I sing in verse, why should I frame
These sad neglected notes for her dear sake?
Why should I offer up onto her name
The sweetest sacrifice my youth can make?
Why should I strive to make her live for ever,
That never deigns to give me joy to live?
Why should m’afflicted Muse so much endeavor,
Such honor unto cruelty to give?
If her defects have purchas’d her this fame,
What should her virtues do, her smiles, her love?
If this her worst, how should her best enflame?
What passions would her milder favors move?
Favors (I think) would sense quite overcome,
And that makes happy Lovers ever dumb.
Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel (1562-1619) was an English poet and playwright who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare. He is known for his works that explore themes of love, beauty, and the human condition, including his sonnet sequence "Delia" and his historical dramas.