Sonnet · Nature

Sonnet 65: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea

by William Shakespeare

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1Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea,

2But sad mortality o'ersways their power,

3How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,

4Whose action is no stronger than a flower?

5O! how shall summer's honey breath hold out,

6Against the wrackful siege of battering days,

7When rocks impregnable are not so stout,

8Nor gates of steel so strong but Time decays?

9O fearful meditation! where, alack,

10Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid?

11Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?

12Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?

13 O! none, unless this miracle have might,

14 That in black ink my love may still shine bright.

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“Sonnet 65: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea” by William Shakespeare — quilloak.com/poems/sonnet-65

Quick facts

Poem: Sonnet 65: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
Poet: William Shakespeare
Length: 14 lines
Form: Sonnet
Themes: Nature, Summer, Love

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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: Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).

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Author record: William Shakespeare1564–1616
Source record: PoetryDBSonnet 65: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea 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 bad5590e2dc42ea2…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Sonnet Nature Summer Love

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