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Sonnets: Idea LX

By Michael Drayton

Topics: classic

Define my weal, and tell the joys of heaven;     Express my woes and show the pains of hell;     Declare what fate unlucky stars have given,     And ask a world upon my life to dwell;         Make known the faith that fortune could no move,     Compare my worth with others' base desert,     Let virtue be the touchstone of my love,     So may the heavens read wonders in my heart;         Behold the clouds which have eclipsed my sun,     And view the crosses which my course do let;     Tell me, if ever since the world begun     So fair a rising had so foul a set?         And see if time, if he would strive to prove,         Can show a second to so pure a love.

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"Define my weal, and tell the joys of heaven;..."

This evocative piece by Michael Drayton, titled "Sonnets: Idea LX", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Michael Drayton

"Define my weal, and tell the joys of heaven;..." by Michael Drayton

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Michael Drayton

About Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton (1563–1631) was an English poet whose "Poly-Olbion" (1612–1622) is a vast topographical poem describing the landscape and legends of England and Wales. His sonnet "Since there's no help" is among the finest of the Elizabethan era.

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"DORILVS in sorrowes deepe,         Autumne waxing ..."

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