Sonnet 39
O, how thy worth with manners may I sing,
separation
praise
unity
love
O, how thy worth with manners may I sing,
When thou art all the better part of me?
What can mine own praise to mine own self bring?
And what is 't but mine own when I praise thee?
Even for this let us divided live,
And our dear love lose name of single one,
That by this separation I may give
That due to thee which thou deservest alone.
O absence, what a torment wouldst thou prove,
Were it not thy sour leisure gave sweet leave
To entertain the time with thoughts of love,
Which time and thoughts so sweetly doth deceive,
And that thou teachest how to make one twain,
By praising him here who doth hence remain!
What It Means
Shakespeare cannot properly praise the young man without seeming to praise himself, since they are so united in spirit. The only solution is separation — apart, he can praise his other half without self-flattery. The logic is clever but melancholy: the best argument for being apart is that it allows Shakespeare to genuinely compliment what he loves. Distance makes praise honest.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence, exploring the philosophical problem of praising someone you identify with.
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