My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks...

Here is our detailed examination of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, with annotations, glossary, a paraphrase in contemporary English, and critical analysis - everything a student needs to know about Shakespeare's parody of the traditional Petrarchan sonnet.

Related Resources:

• Sonnet Structure: Shakespeare vs. Petrarch
  
  
• The Marriage of True Minds: A Guide to Sonnet 116
  
  
• Shakespeare's Dark Lady