Sonnet 82
I grant thou wert not married to my Muse
rivalry
truth
praise
poetry
I grant thou wert not married to my Muse
And therefore mayst without attaint o'erlook
The dedicated words which writers use
Of their fair subject, blessing every book
Thou art as fair in knowledge as in hue,
Finding thy worth a limit past my praise,
And therefore art enforced to seek anew
Some fresher stamp of the time-bettering days
And do so, love; yet when they have devised
What strained touches rhetoric can lend,
Thou truly fair wert truly sympathized
In true plain words by thy true-telling friend;
And their gross painting might be better used
Where cheeks need blood; in thee it is abused.
What It Means
Shakespeare concedes: you never promised to be my muse alone. You can read other poets' praise. But when you do, notice that their writing is all decoration and empty compliment. His praise is true. The simplest, most honest words he uses when he actually describes you are worth more than all their ornament.
Context
Part of the Rival Poet group (78–86). Shakespeare here concedes the young man's freedom while reasserting the superiority of his own truthfulness.
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