1 My love is strengthened though more weak in seeming,
My love has grown stronger even though it appears more quiet My love has actually grown deeper even though it looks more reserved love grew stronger
but looks weaker
surprise
2 I love not less, though less the show appear,
I love no less, though my expression of it seems less I don't love you any less, even though I show it less i love you same
just show it less
nothing changed
3 That love is merchandized, whose rich esteeming,
That kind of love is just commerce, whose rich value is displayed That's the kind of love that gets bought and sold, always showing off its worth love that's sold
showing off
is fake
4 The owner’s tongue doth publish every where.
The owner's mouth proclaims everywhere Where the person is always talking about it and showing it off owners brag
talk about it
every place
5 Our love was new, and then but in the spring, The central assertion: love is not diminished but transformed.
Our love was new then, barely begun, just like spring Our love was fresh back then, just beginning like the spring love was new
just spring
beginning stage
6 When I was wont to greet it with my lays,
When I was accustomed to celebrate it with my poems When I used to celebrate it all the time with my verses i wrote poems
for your love
all the time
7 As Philomel in summer’s front doth sing,
As the nightingale sings at the beginning of summer Like the nightingale singing happily at summer's start like nightingale
singing spring
loud and clear
8 And stops her pipe in growth of riper days:
And stops singing as the summer deepens and grows mature And then goes silent as the summer gets older and fuller stops singing
when summer matures
goes quiet
Volta The volta shifts from appearance to reality, from what observers might perceive (weaker love) to the truth (love is unchanging and constant despite outer appearances).
9 Not that the summer is less pleasant now
Not because summer is less pleasant now Not because summer has become less beautiful now not less pleasant
now
summer still good
10 Than when her mournful hymns did hush the night,
Than when her sad songs would quiet the night Than when her mournful songs would silence the night sad songs quieted
the night
beautiful sound
11 But that wild music burthens every bough,
But because wild song now burdens and weights every branch But because now all the wild singing is everywhere on every branch wild music
on every branch
too much now
12 And sweets grown common lose their dear delight.
And sweet sounds, now common everywhere, lose their precious charm And sweet sounds that are everywhere now don't mean as much anymore sweets everywhere
now common
lose their magic
13 Therefore like her, I sometime hold my tongue:
Therefore, like her, sometimes I hold my tongue silent So like the nightingale, sometimes I just keep quiet like her
i stay quiet
sometimes
14 Because I would not dull you with my song.
Because I don't want to bore you with my constant poetry Because I don't want to tire you out with endless verses don't wanna
bore you
with songs