SONNET 122

Thy gift, thy tables, are within my brain
Full character'd with lasting memory,
Which shall above that idle rank remain
Beyond all date, even to eternity;
Or at the least, so long as brain and heart
Have faculty by nature to subsist;
Till each to razed oblivion yield his part
Of thee, thy record never can be miss'd.
That poor retention could not so much hold,
Nor need I tallies thy dear love to score;
Therefore to give them from me was I bold,
To trust those tables that receive thee more:
   To keep an adjunct to remember thee
   Were to import forgetfulness in me.

_________

Related Articles

 Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
 How to Analyze a Shakespearean Sonnet
 Shakespearean Sonnet Basics
 Outline of the Themes in Shakespeare's Sonnets
 Shakespeare's Sonnets: Q & A
 Are Shakespeare's Sonnets Autobiographical?
 Shakespeare's Greatest Love Poem

 The Order of the Sonnets
 The Date of the Sonnets
 Who was Mr. W. H.?
 Are all the Sonnets addressed to two Persons?
 Who was The Rival Poet?

 Shakespeare Glossary
 Shakespeare Quotations (by Play and Theme)

 Why Shakespeare is so Important
 Shakespeare's Language
 Shakespeare's Boss
 Shakespeare's Impact on Other Writers
 Why Study Shakespeare?