Sonnet 15

Sonnet 15

YE tradefull merchants, that with weary toyle,

Do seeke most pretious things to make your gain:

And both the Indias[1] of their treasures spoile[2],

What needeth you to seeke so farre in vaine?

For loe! my loue doth in her selfe containe

All this worlds riches that may farre be found;

If saphyres, loe her eyes be saphyres plaine,

If rubies, loe! hir lips be rubies sound;

If pearles, hir teeth be pearles both pure and round;

If yuorie, her forhead yuory weene[3];

If gold, her locks are finest gold on ground[4];

If siluer, her faire hands are silver sheene[5],

But that which fairest is, but few behold,

Her mind, adornd with vertues manifold.


[1] Indias:指东印度和西印度。

[2] spoile:剥夺;掠夺。

[3] weene:祈使句式。把她的前额想成象牙。

[4] ground:大地,陆地,地面,地上。

[5] sheene:闪闪发光的。

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