Sonnet 87
Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
separation
worth
farewell
love
Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
And like enough thou know'st thy estimate:
The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;
My bonds in thee are all determinate.
For how do I hold thee but by thy granting?
And for that riches where is my deserving?
The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting,
And so my patent back again is swerving.
Thyself thou gavest, thy own worth then not knowing,
Or me, to whom thou gavest it, else mistaking;
So thy great gift, upon misprision growing,
Comes home again, on better judgment making.
Thus have I had thee, as a dream doth flatter,
In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.
What It Means
The young man is too good for Shakespeare. The 'charter' of his worth is too great. Shakespeare never had a proper claim on him — he simply assumed a right that was never legally granted. He has been given something valuable by mistake. Now the mistake is recognized, the gift is taken back. Shakespeare is left with nothing but the memory of a 'dream' — a rich king for a while in sleep, then awake and poor again.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence. Sonnet 87 is often read as marking the end of one phase of the relationship — a formal farewell, possibly to the friendship itself.
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