Sonnet 3

THE soverayne beauty which I doo admyre^[1],

Witnesse the world how worthy to be prayzed:

The light wherof hath kindled heavenly fyre,

In my fraile spirit, by her from basenesse raysed.

That being now with her huge brightnesse dazed^[2],

Base thing I can no more endure to view:

But looking still on her, I stand amazed,

At wondrous sight of so celestiall hew^[3].

So when my toung would speak her praises dew^[4],

It stoppéd as with thoughts astonishment:

And when my pen would write her titles^[5] true,

It ravisht is with fancies^[6] wonderment.

Yet in my hart I then both speake and write,

The wonder that my wit cannot endite^[7].

[1] admyre: admire和wonder at都从拉丁文admiror（赞美者，敬慕者；情人）演变而来。

[2] dazed:使人眼花缭乱的。

[3] hew:画像，塑像；人影，人形；人物。

[4] her praises dew:这里指她应得的赞美。

[5] titles:正确记述的名字。

[6] fancies:指我们的想象力。有人怀疑它不可靠，因为想象力有误导理智的能力。

[7] endite:表达，或更确切地说是口授。