How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame Which, like a canker in the fragrant rose, Doth spot the beauty of thy budding name! O in what sweets dost thou thy sins enclose! 5 That tongue that tells the story of thy days, Making lascivious comments on thy sport, Cannot dispraise but in a kind of praise; Naming thy name blesses an ill report. O what a mansion have those vices got 10 Which for their habitation chose out thee, Where beauty’s veil doth cover every blot, And all things turns to fair that eyes can see! Take heed, dear heart, of this large privilege; The hardest knife ill used doth lose his edge.
You make shame sweet-smelling and lovely
Which, like an infection in the fragrant rose,
Taints the beauty of your growing reputation!
Oh, you encase your sins in such sweet beauty!
A person that tells stories about you,
Making lustful comments on your pleasure,
He cannot help but turn his insult into a praise;
The using of your name blesses a bad report.
Oh what a glorious body houses those bad deeds,
Which chose you as their home,
Because that is where beauty covers every stain,
And where all things the eyes can see become beautiful!
Take care, dear heart, of this large privilege;
The hardest knife badly used loses its edge.
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.