Sonnet 138

Both the poet and his mistress pretend: she lies about her virtue; he feigns youth and naivety. Their mutual deceptions preserve the relationship and mask the truth of age and infidelity.

Original

Modern

1 When my love swears that she is made of truth,

The woman's lie

When my lover swears that she is made of honesty,

2 I do believe, her though I know she lies,

I pretend to accept what she says, knowing full well she is being dishonest,

Wordplay: “lie / lies / lie”

Triple pun: lie (recline), lies (falsehoods), and the sexual act. Their bond is built on compressed ambiguity.

3 That she might think me some untutored youth,

So that she might think me some untaught youth,

4 Unlearned in the world’s false subtleties.

Uneducated in the world's deceptive games.

5 Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,

So pointlessly thinking that she believes me young,

6 Although she knows my days are past the best,

Although she knows my best days are behind me,

7 Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue;

Simply I accept her lying tongue;

8 On both sides thus is simple truth suppressed.

So on both sides simple truth is buried.

Wordplay: “simple truth”

Simple (foolish, straightforward) truth is suppressed. Honesty is incompatible with the relationship's survival.

Volta The volta asks why she doesn't confess her injustice; why he doesn't admit age. The poem recognizes that honesty would be more honorable but less loving.

9 But wherefore says she not she is unjust?

But why doesn't she say that she is unfaithful?

10 And wherefore say not I that I am old?

And why don't I say that I am old?

11 O love’s best habit is in seeming trust,

Love's best habit

Love's best move is pretending to trust,

12 And age in love loves not to have years told.

And age in love doesn't like having its years mentioned.

13 Therefore I lie with her, and she with me,

Lying together

So we both get into bed and continue our mutual deceptions together,

14 And in our faults by lies we flattered be.

And our lies end up flattering each other's faults.

Lies as Love's Foundation

The poem's central argument (lines 11-12) is radical: 'O love's best habit is in seeming trust, / And age in love loves not to have years told.' Love's fundamental 'habit' (characteristic, practice) is seeming (appearing, dissembling). This isn't accidental—it's where love's value lies. To love is to perform trust even when untrustworthy. To age and be loved is to enforce muteness about aging. The poem suggests love is inherently performative; authenticity would kill it.

The Pun on 'Lie'

The final couplet—'Therefore I lie with her, and she with me, / And in our faults by lies we flattered be'—puns on 'lie' (recline, have sex) and 'lie' (falsehood). They lie together physically and morally, and in this tangled deception find flatttery. The word 'lie' becomes a nexus of meaning: false speech, sexual contact, and horizontal position merge. Their entire relationship is built on this punning collapse of meanings.

If this happened today

Like a relationship where both people pretend to be younger, more faithful, or more interested than they actually are, and the deception is more intimate than truth would be. It's the Netflix show everyone watches but doesn't discuss: the mutual agreement to not acknowledge reality.

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