Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
-William Shakespeare
I loved this poem. When I read it, I was laughing, though I'm not sure if that was Shakespeare's intended reaction or not. I laughed because he is basically saying, "I love her even though she is ugly."
"Coral is far more red than her lips."
Normally men compare women's bright lips to that of a rose or coral, but good ol' Will just says plainly, "Yeah, coral is definitely a nicer hue than your lips."
And her breasts are "dun"? OUCH. According to my anthology book, "dun" means mouse-colored.
So her breasts look like they have mouse fur on them? That line reminds of the movie "The Witches", based on the book by Roald Dahl. A sneaky maid uses a bit of one of the witch's perfume, not knowing that it is meant to turn little children into mice. The reaction her secret lover (her BOSS!) displays when the two attempt to have an intimate moment in the maid's closet is of utter disgust. It's hysterical, and I love that William Shakespeare talks about this as if it's not really a big deal. It is pretty nice though that he loves her even though she's not pretty. Either way, I really like this poem, and found it sweet, yet very comical.
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