Шекспир. Сонет 62. Самолюбие

Грех самолюбия моим владеет зреньем
и всей душой, и каждой частью в ней,
От этого греха нет мне спасенья,
пустил он в сердце тысячи корней.
Нет на земле прекраснее лица,
И форм нет лучше, правду говоря.
В достоинствах своих уверен я,
намного всех других в них превзойдя.
Но зеркало покажет правду мне,
как я загаром древности изношен,
и станет самолюбие тогда
любви к себе вдруг противоположно.
Тебя ведь, Я, я сам превозношу.
И краской дней свой возраст напишу.

SONNET 62
Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye,
 And all my soul and all my every part;
 And for this sin there is no remedy,
 It is so grounded inward in my heart.
 Methinks no face so gracious is as mine,
 No shape so true, no truth of such account;
 And for myself mine own worth do define,
 As I all other in all worths surmount.
 But when my glass shows me myself indeed,
 Beated and chopp'd with tann'd antiquity,
 Mine own self-love quite contrary I read;
 Self so self-loving were iniquity.
    'Tis thee, myself, that for myself I praise,
    Painting my age with beauty of thy days.

NOTES

 LXII. But here again, as in xxxv., xxxvi., the poet proceeds from imputations cast on his friend to introspection and self-accusation. He is saturated and thoroughly possessed by self-esteem. But the sight of a mirror disabuses him of an overweening estimate of his own beauty. Still, incorporated as he is with his youthful friend, he may still paint his own maturer age with the beauty of youth. That indeed is what he has been doing (cf. xxii).

 5. So gracious. Displaying such grace or beauty.

 6. No symmetry of form equally perfect and admirable with mine.


 


 10. Beated and chopp'd with tann'd antiquity. Meaning, probably, battered, wrinkled, and darkened, or discoloured, bronzed.

 11. The poet then comes to a totally different opinion concerning his self-love. It was in reality love of thee (13).

 12. It would be "iniquity" for the poet to admire and esteem his beauty after the revelation made by the mirror.