1 Canst thou O cruel, say I love thee not,
Can you say I don't love you, cruel as you are Can you possibly say I don't love you, you cruel person can u say i don't love u
2 When I against my self with thee partake?
When I betray myself by taking your side When I go against my own interests to be with you when i pick u over me
3 Do I not think on thee when I forgot
Don't I think constantly of you while I forget myself Don't I think of nothing but you, forgetting everything else think of u forget myself
4 Am of my self, all-tyrant, for thy sake?
I am a complete tyrant to myself for your sake Being a total despot to myself just for you tyrant to myself for u
5 Who hateth thee that I do call my friend,
Who hates you—someone I call my friend I call friend someone you hate call friend who u hate
6 On whom frown’st thou that I do fawn upon,
At whom you frown—someone I bow down before Someone you reject that I can't stop chasing u frown on who i pursue
7 Nay if thou lour’st on me do I not spend
And if you scowl at me, don't I immediately retaliate And when you glare at me, don't I immediately punish myself if u glare i hit myself
8 Revenge upon my self with present moan?
With immediate grief and self-inflicted punishment By hurting myself right away with my own suffering punish myself w pain
Volta The volta abandons questions and shifts to accusation. The speaker indicts himself for his own degradation, then turns resignation into capitulation: he accepts her tyranny.
9 What merit do I in my self respect,
What value do I have in myself to be proud of What good quality do I have worth respecting what good am i
10 That is so proud thy service to despise,
That it would be proud enough to despise serving you That it would dare to refuse to serve you proud enough to refuse u
11 When all my best doth worship thy defect,
When every good thing in me worships your faults When all my best qualities worship your worst ones my best worships ur worst
12 Commanded by the motion of thine eyes?
Commanded by the slightest gesture of your eyes Controlled by every glance you make ur eyes control me
13 But love hate on for now I know thy mind,
But continue to hate, because now I understand you So hate all you want—now I get what you are ok hate now i know u
14 Those that can see thou lov’st, and I am blind. final despair: accepting blindness
You love those who have clear vision, and I'm blind You love people who see clearly, and I'm just blind u love who can see i'm blind