Say that thou didst forsake me for some fault, And I will comment upon that offense. Speak of my lameness, and I straight will halt, Against thy reasons making no defense. 5 Thou canst not, love, disgrace me half so ill, To set a form upon desired change, As I’ll myself disgrace, knowing thy will; I will acquaintance strangle and look strange, Be absent from thy walks, and in my tongue 10 Thy sweet belovèd name no more shall dwell, Lest I, too much profane, should do it wrong And haply of our old acquaintance tell. For thee against myself I’ll vow debate, For I must ne'er love him whom thou dost hate.
Suppose you left me because of some fault,
And I will explain that offense.
Speak about my lameness, and I will immediately limp,
Making no defense against your argument.
You can't, my love, disgrace me half as badly
Giving reasons for a change that you want,
As I will disgrace myself, knowing what you want;
I will suppress all signs of familiarity, and look at you like a stranger,
I won't go to the places you frequent, and in my tongue
Your sweet beloved name will not live any longer,
In case I, too unholy, should contaminate it
By revealing our old familiarity.
For you I vow to debate against myself,
Since I must never love anyone you hate.
Suzy Kim is a graduate student studying Victorian literature at Brown University. She studied English and Psychology at University of Pennsylvania, and some of her creative work can be found in the upcoming volume of The Graphic Canon: Tales of Crime and Mystery Vol. 1. She is from Seoul, and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island.