Shakespeare's Sonnets Translation Sonnet 34
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day And make me travel forth without my cloak, To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way, Hiding thy brav'ry in their rotten smoke? 'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break, To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face. For no man well of such a salve can speak That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace. Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief; Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss. The offender’s sorrow lends but weak relief To him that bears the strong offense’s cross. Ah, but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds, And they are rich, and ransom all ill deeds.
Why did you promise such a beautiful day
And make me go out without my coat,
Only to let dark clouds overtake my journey,
Hiding your fine attributes with their foul mist?
It is not enough that you break through the clouds,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face.
For no man can be content with the remedy
That heals the wound but doesn't cure the insult.
Your public shame does not cure my pain either;
Though you ask for forgiveness, I still suffer the hurt.
The culprit's sorrow gives little relief
To the victim who still suffers from the crime.
Ah but the tears that you shed out of love are like pearls,
They are precious, and compensate for all wrongdoing.
