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Sonnet 55: Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time. When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broils root out the wide world's wonder, And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Not marble, nor the golden statues of princes, will last longer than this powerful poem; But you will shine more brightly in these verses than neglected stone, stained by time. When destructive war topples statues and conflicts destroy the world's wonders, every beautiful thing eventually loses its beauty by chance or by nature's changes, not adorned; But your eternal beauty will not fade, nor lose the beauty you possess; Nor will Death boast that you wander in his shadow, when you grow in eternal lines of time: As long as people can breathe or see, this poem will live, and it will give you life.