Skip to content
Storgy

The Annotated Edition

Sonnet 33 by William Shakespeare

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~1 minOpen reading mode →

A speaker recounts witnessing the sun rise spectacularly over mountains and meadows, only to be engulfed by clouds.

Poet
William Shakespeare
Themes
forgiveness, love, nature
The PoemFull text

Sonnet 33

William Shakespeare

Full many a glorious morning have I seen Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye, Kissing with golden face the meadows green, Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy; Anon permit the basest clouds to ride With ugly rack on his celestial face, And from the forlorn world his visage hide, Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace: Even so my sun one early morn did shine, With all triumphant splendour on my brow; But out! alack! he was but one hour mine, The region cloud hath mask’d him from me now. Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth; Suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A speaker recounts witnessing the sun rise spectacularly over mountains and meadows, only to be engulfed by clouds. He then confesses that he just experienced the same with someone he loves. That person brought light into his life for a moment before drifting away, but the speaker insists he doesn’t hold it against them. After all, if even the sun can be obscured by clouds, it’s only natural for a person to do the same.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Full many a glorious morning have I seen / Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye,

    Editor's note

    The first quatrain introduces the sun metaphor. The sun is likened to a king, possessing a "sovereign eye" and a "golden face," and it flatters the landscape beneath it by illuminating it. "Heavenly alchemy" describes how sunlight turns pale streams into a golden appearance. Everything in this scene feels vibrant and strong.

  2. Anon permit the basest clouds to ride / With ugly rack on his celestial face,

    Editor's note

    The mood changes. "Anon" refers to something happening soon after, and "rack" describes clouds that are pushed by the wind. Now, the same beautiful sun allows the lowest, most unattractive clouds to obscure its light and drift westward, which the speaker calls "disgrace." The sun hasn't really been defeated — it almost seems to permit this, which is a key detail for what follows.

  3. Even so my sun one early morn did shine, / With all triumphant splendour on my brow;

    Editor's note

    Here, the poem shifts from describing the literal sun to focusing on a person—the speaker's beloved, referred to as "my sun." This person illuminated the speaker's life with the same brilliance as the morning sun lights up the landscape. The use of the word "triumphant" elevates the moment, suggesting a sense of true glory rather than mere warmth.

  4. Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth; / Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth.

    Editor's note

    The closing couplet provides the emotional resolution. "No whit" means not even a tiny bit — the speaker's love remains intact despite the beloved's withdrawal. The last line presents the main point: if the real sun in the sky can be covered (obscured, tarnished) by clouds, then our human "suns" — those who illuminate our lives — can be forgiven for doing the same. This reflects a generous, almost resigned acceptance.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone shifts from wonder to disappointment and finally to quiet acceptance. The first eight lines are expansive and celebratory—you can almost feel the warmth of the morning sun. Then, the mood drops suddenly with the arrival of clouds, and there's a personal sting when the speaker reveals that his beloved has also changed. However, the couplet concludes with a sense of calm and even tender forgiveness instead of bitterness. Shakespeare maintains a controlled emotional tone throughout; the grief is genuine, but the speaker won’t let it turn into resentment.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The sun
The sun serves two roles here. On one hand, it's literally the morning sun journeying across the sky. On the other, it symbolizes a cherished person—someone whose love and attention bring warmth and light. Referring to someone as "my sun" was a common compliment in Elizabethan poetry, but Shakespeare makes it special by dedicating eight full lines to describing the sun's true magnificence before using the term for a person.
Clouds
The clouds symbolize what has led the beloved to pull away — a mood, a rival, a distraction, or just inconsistency. Shakespeare refers to them as "basest," implying they are low and contemptible, suggesting the speaker views the reason for the distance as unworthy. The clouds don't obliterate the sun; they merely obscure it.
Gold and alchemy
"Gilding" and "heavenly alchemy" both suggest turning the ordinary into gold. This indicates that the beloved's attention is more than just pleasurable — it profoundly alters how the speaker perceives the world. Without it, streams revert to their dull state.
The sovereign eye
The sun casts a royal, all-seeing gaze. This highlights the beloved's attention as something powerful and authoritative — being seen by them lifts you up. When that gaze shifts away, it feels like a demotion.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Sonnet 33 is one of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, published in 1609, although he penned most of them in the 1590s. The first 126 sonnets are directed at a young man known as the "Fair Youth." His true identity remains a mystery, with possible candidates being Henry Wriothesley and William Herbert. This sonnet is part of a group (Sonnets 33–35) that explores a moment of disappointment or betrayal by the Youth, as the speaker navigates his hurt feelings while still holding on to his affection. Shakespeare employs an extended nature metaphor, using imagery of the sun and clouds to reflect on human relationships. While this device was common in Renaissance poetry, he applies it with striking emotional clarity. The sonnet adheres to the traditional English (Shakespearean) structure, consisting of three quatrains followed by a couplet, written in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

The pronoun "him" in the couplet indicates that the beloved is male. Most scholars interpret this as part of the Fair Youth sequence, directed at a young man to whom the speaker feels a strong — and probably romantic — connection. It's still up for debate whether Shakespeare meant this to be autobiographical or simply a persona he adopted.

Read next

Poems in the same key

Similar poems

LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI. — John KeatsNeutral Tones — Thomas HardyOne Art — Elizabeth BishopODE TO A NIGHTINGALE. — John Keats

More by William Shakespeare

Browse all William Shakespeare poems →

Themes in this poem

Poems about forgivenessPoems about lovePoems about naturePoems about sorrow