Not marble, nor the gilded monumentsOf princes, shall outlive this powerful

rhyme;But you shall shine more bright in

these contentsThan unswept stone, besmear'd with

sluttish time.When wasteful war shall statues

overturn,And broils root out the work of

masonry,Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire

shall burnThe living record of your memory.

'Gainst death, and all oblivious enmityShall you pace forth; your praise shall

still find roomEven in the eyes of all posterity

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

   So, till the judgment that yourself arise,

   You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Marble was widely used in monuments for tombs of the powerful and wealthy. The more extravagant ones were large enough to house the coffins of generations of the same family. Royal tombs would be richly ornate, as those for example in Westminster Abbey.

gilded monuments - Memorials in churches would often be decorated with gold leaf.

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;

princes - a word which was used to refer to all royalty and rulers, male and female.

powerful - in the sense of being able to withstand time's destruction, and perhaps to confer immortality.

But you shall shine more bright in these contents

But = in contrast to the things listed, you etc.

in these contents - in the content of this verse.

Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.

unswept stone - a stone monument left uncared for. Those in cathedrals and churches would generally be kept clean and polished. But older monuments in churchyards gradually would be forgotten and fall to ruin, as the living memory of its builders and inhabitants died out. sluttish = of unclean habits and behaviour; lewd. It is descriptive of time's indifference to keeping the world orderly.

When wasteful war shall statues overturn,

wasteful war - war devastates city and country, hence the term to lay waste (from the Latin vastare)

And broils root out the work of masonry,

broils = tumult, fighting, disturbances, esp. in war.

The destruction caused by war, even in the days before high explosives, was often made evident when conquered towns were razed to the ground by the soldiery. All buildings (masonry) would be flattened.

Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire shall burn

Neither the sword of Mars (the God of war), nor the searching fire of war.

quick = lively, fast moving, searching out.

The living record of your memory.

Living record = the memory of you among those currently alive; the memory of you which continues after you are dead; the written record of your life.

Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity

Gainst = against. all oblivious enmity - enmity which seeks to destroy everything, or is forgetful of everything; time, the enemy.

possible meanings of this phrase: entirely unmindful; that causes forgetfulness; that causes forgetfulness of everything; that causes forgetfulness in everyone; that brings everything to oblivion, causes everything to be forgotten.

shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room

Shall you pace forth = you shall stride forwards. The image is perhaps that of leading a procession, or of striding on to a stage.

your praise = praise of you, praise which is due to you.

still = constantly; for ever, despite all. find room = be given time and space

(whereas most things disappear or are lost with the passage of time).

Even in the eyes of all posterity

Even in the eyes of = in the very presence or sight of, in the opinion of.

all posterity = all future generations.

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

That wear this world out. The most obvious meaning is 'to destroy gradually by attrition',

So, till the judgment that yourself arise,

On the final day, the day of the last judgment, even those who died some time ago will arise from the dead and be judged. After that date there is no point in celebrating anyone in poetry.

You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

in this - in this verse.live, dwell - the repetition of words

connected with 'to live' (outlive, living, oblivious, arise, dwell) counteracts the effect of death, war and destruction.

in lover's eyes - a reminder that this is also a love poem, and a reminder of the power of love to transcend mortality.

Questions

•Why do the rich and the powerful people get monuments and statues erected in their memory?•Describe how the monuments and statues brave the ravages of time•Why does the poet refer to Time as being sluttish?•The poet says that neither forces of nature nor wars can destroy his poetry. Even the godly powers of mars will not have a devastating effect on his rhyme. What quality of the poet is revealed through these lines?•Find out information on ‘Sonnets’