Sonnet · Childhood

Sonnet 59: If there be nothing new, but that which is

by William Shakespeare

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1If there be nothing new, but that which is

2Hath been before, how are our brains beguil'd,

3Which labouring for invention bear amiss

4The second burthen of a former child!

5O! that record could with a backward look,

6Even of five hundred courses of the sun,

7Show me your image in some antique book,

8Since mind at first in character was done!

9That I might see what the old world could say

10To this composed wonder of your frame;

11Wh'r we are mended, or wh'r better they,

12Or whether revolution be the same.

13 O! sure I am the wits of former days,

14 To subjects worse have given admiring praise.

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“Sonnet 59: If there be nothing new, but that which is” by William Shakespeare — quilloak.com/poems/sonnet-59

Quick facts

Poem: Sonnet 59: If there be nothing new, but that which is
Poet: William Shakespeare
Length: 14 lines
Form: Sonnet
Themes: Childhood

Craft notes

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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: Lines run 9-11 syllables (median 10), consistent with pentameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record: William Shakespeare1564–1616
Source record: PoetryDBSonnet 59: If there be nothing new, but that which is by william-shakespeare, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 a3c27903de379f33…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Sonnet Childhood

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