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Sonnet 14Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck;And yet methinks I have astronomy, But not to tell of good or evil luck, Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality; Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell, Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind, Or say with princes if it shall go well, By oft predict that I in heaven find: But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive, And, constant stars, in them I read such art As truth and beauty shall together thrive, If from thyself to store thou wouldst convert; Or else of thee this I prognosticate, Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date. Paraphrase of Sonnet 14I do not receive my knowledge or make my decisions by the stars;Though I have enough training in astrology to do so, I cannot predict good luck or bad, Or plagues, or famine, or the weather; Nor can I say what will happen at any given moment in our daily lives, Alloting to each man his thunder, rain, and wind [i.e., he cannot fortell our personal troubles], Or even tell princes if things will go well for them, By frequent omens that I see in the heavens: But from your eyes alone do I derive my knowledge, And they are my constant stars, in which I read such art [gain such knowledge] That I see truth and beauty will live together in harmony, If you would only turn your focus from yourself to creating a child; Or else this is my prophecy: That truth and beauty will all end when you die. NOTESmy judgement pluck (1): obtain my knowledge.have astronomy (2): know astrology. dearths (4): famine. pointing (6): appointing. oft predict (8): frequent predictions. art (10): knowledge. As (11): That. If...convert (12): i.e., If [your focus] would turn from yourself to having children ('to store'). In Sonnet 14 the poet first reveals that it is not through science ("astronomy"), his own judgement, or personal experience that he obtains his knowledge about life and love -- all that he knows comes simply and only from his lover ("But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive"). And the primary lesson the poet learns from his lover's eyes is that, if his lover refuses to create a child to carry on his (or her) lineage, all the ideals embodied by his lover will cease to exist. This is yet another variation on Shakespeare's theme of the necessity of procreation that dominates the early sonnets. For much more on this theme, please see the commentary for the other sonnets (1-18) and the article How to Analyze a Shakespearean Sonnet. ____________ How to Cite this Article______ Even More...  Stratford School Days: What Did Shakespeare Read? Games in Shakespeare's England [A-L] Games in Shakespeare's England [M-Z] An Elizabethan Christmas Clothing in Elizabethan England Queen Elizabeth: Shakespeare's Patron King James I of England: Shakespeare's Patron The Earl of Southampton: Shakespeare's Patron Going to a Play in Elizabethan London Ben Jonson and the Decline of the Drama Publishing in Elizabethan England Shakespeare's Audience Religion in Shakespeare's England Alchemy and Astrology in Shakespeare's Day Entertainment in Elizabethan England London's First Public Playhouse Shakespeare Hits the Big Time
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Shakespeare's Sonnets Shakespearean Sonnet
Style How to Analyze a Shakespearean Sonnet The Rules of Shakespearean Sonnets
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