Sonnet 25
Let those who are in favour with their stars
love
fame
happiness
fortune
Let those who are in favour with their stars
Of public honour and proud titles boast,
Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,
Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.
Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread
But as the marigold at the sun's eye,
And in themselves their pride lies buried,
For at a frown they in their glory die.
The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories once foil'd,
Is from the book of honour razed quite,
And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd:
Then happy I, that love and am beloved
Where I may not remove nor be removed.
What It Means
Lucky people boast about their titles and glory. Shakespeare says he has none of that — no great name, no public honor. But he has something better: the private favor of the person he loves. Great men can be cast down from favor in a moment. The champion soldier is forgotten after one defeat. But what Shakespeare has cannot be taken away by a frown from a king. Private love is more secure than public reputation.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence. The contrast between public favor and private love recurs throughout the sequence.
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