Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all...
Sonnet 40Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all;
What hast thou then more than thou hadst before? No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call; All mine was thine before thou hadst this more. Then if for my love thou my love receivest, I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest; But yet be blamed, if thou thyself deceivest By wilful taste of what thyself refusest. I do forgive thy robbery, gentle thief, Although thou steal thee all my poverty; And yet, love knows, it is a greater grief To bear love's wrong than hate's known injury. Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows, Kill me with spites; yet we must not be foes. |
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You might as well take all my lovers – it won’t make any difference because you won’t be taking any more than you already have. Nothing extra in the way of real love, anyway. Everything I have was already yours in any case, before you took this extra bit.
In that case, if for the sake of my [other] love, you receive her, I can scarcely blame you, since you’re using my own love. But dammit I will blame you, if you deceive yourself by partaking of my love [through her] when you refuse my love directly.
I forgive you your theft, even if you take everything that - impoverished as I am - I possess. Even so, an injury from a loved one hurts more than one from an enemy.
You lascivious but wonderful one, who makes even the worst deeds seem honourable... you can kill me with wrongs, but still, we mustn’t quarrel.
In that case, if for the sake of my [other] love, you receive her, I can scarcely blame you, since you’re using my own love. But dammit I will blame you, if you deceive yourself by partaking of my love [through her] when you refuse my love directly.
I forgive you your theft, even if you take everything that - impoverished as I am - I possess. Even so, an injury from a loved one hurts more than one from an enemy.
You lascivious but wonderful one, who makes even the worst deeds seem honourable... you can kill me with wrongs, but still, we mustn’t quarrel.