Robert Bridges, ed. (1844–1930). The Spirit of Man: An Anthology. 1916. | | | | Sonnet CXXIX |
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) |
| | | THE EXPENSE 1 of spirit in a waste of shame | |
| Is lust in action; and till action, lust | |
| Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame, | |
| Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust; | |
| Enjoy’d no sooner but despised straight; | 5 |
| Past reason hunted, and no sooner had, | |
| Past reason hated, as a swallow’d bait | |
| On purpose laid to make the taker mad: | |
| Mad in pursuit and in possession so; | |
| Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; | 10 |
| A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe; | |
| Before a joy proposed; behind a dream. | |
| All this the world well knows; yet none knows well | |
| To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell. | |
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