Sonnet 20
By: William Shakespeare

A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion (strong feeling; poem);
A woman's gentle heart but not acquainted
With shifting change as is false women's fashion;
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling (roving),
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman were though first created,
Till Nature as she wrought thee fell a-doting (crazy; infatuated),
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
_____________But since she pricked thee out for women's pleasure,
_____________Mine be thy love, and thy love's use their treasure.

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1. I.e., not made up with cosmetics 2. (1) Strong feeling, (2) poem 3. Roving 4. “Hue” probably means appearance or form. In the first edition, “hues” is spelled “Hews,” which some have taken as indicating a pun on a proper name. It has also been suggested that “man in” is a copyist’s or compositor’s misreading of “maiden.” 5. (1) Crazy, (2) infatuated 6. Marked, with obvious sexual pun. 7. (1) Sexual enjoyment, (2) interest (as in usury). 1