William Shakespeare
1564-1616
Sonnet XX
A woman's
face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master
mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart,
but not acquainted
With shifting change,
as is false women's fashion:
An eye more bright
than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object
whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all 'hues'
in his controlling,
Which steals men's
eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert
thou first created;
Till Nature, as she
wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me
of thee defeated,
By adding one thing
to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.
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