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Sonnet · Love

Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

by William Shakespeare · 1609

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Poet
William Shakespeare
Published
1609
Length
14 lines
Form
Sonnet
Themes
Love, Funny

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape
14 lines · one 14-line stanza
Line length
Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on a United States term-expiry review; status can differ elsewhere.

Author record
William Shakespeare1564–1616
Source record
QuillOak curated editionSonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun (1609) by william-shakespeare
Display decision
Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record
1609
Text fingerprint
SHA-256 51b37a115fdc383f
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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