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My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

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 damask'd, red and white,5
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:10
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.

What is the best paraphrase of line 12?

User MrXQ
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1 Answer

2 votes

Answer:

like everyone,she walks on the ground

Step-by-step explanation:

This is one of the most famous Shakespeare's sonnets, "Sonnet 130".

Interesting thing about it is that in a way mocks romantic poems of the period. The common style of such poems is that they center around comparison of women with natural beauties, flowers, goddesses etc. The authors' love interests were highly idealized and shown as perfect, out of this world beings.

Here, Shakespeare fights against this in a very funny manner. He constantly, throughout the poem, gives a realistic description of his lover, rendering her unable to compete with natural beauties, smell of perfume, sound of music etc.

However, that doesn't mean he doesn't love her; he loves her the way she is - as real and as imperfect as one can be.

In lines 11 and 12 the author basically states that he has never seen a goddess walk, but he is sure that his mistress walks in a quite ordinary manner, just like every other woman does.

This line is just a logical sequel to the idea expressed in the previous lines.

User Jimmy Engelbrecht
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