Venus And Adonis: A Poem

By William Shakespeare

In one of William Shakespeare’s most popular poems, Venus spies the young and beautiful Adonis as he prepares for a hunt. She passionately kisses and attempts to seduce him, but Adonis is young and more interested in his hunt, and so he leaves Venus, only to find his own tragic end.

Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781443443616

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

Book preview

VENUS AND ADONIS

William Shakespeare

HarperPerennial Classics

CONTENTS

Venus and Adonis

About the Author

About the Series

Copyright

About the Publisher

Venus and Adonis

Vilia miretur vulgus: mihi flavus Apollo

Pocula Castalia plena ministret aqua.

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE HENRIE WRIOTHESLEY, EARLE OF SOUTHAMPTON, AND BARON OF TITCHFIELD.

RIGHT HONOURABLE,

I know not how I shall offend in dedicating my unpolisht lines to your Lordship, nor how the worlde will censure mee for choosing so strong a proppe to support so weake a burthen, onelye if your Honour seeme but pleased, I account my selfe highly praised, and vowe to take advantage of all idle houres, till I have honoured you with some graver labour. But if the first heire of my invention prove deformed, I shall be sorie it had so noble a god-father: and never after eare so barren a land, for feare it yeeld me still so bad a harvest, I leave it to your Honourable survey, and your Honor to your hearts content which I wish may alwaies answere your owne wish, and the worlds hopefull expectation.

Your Honors in all dutie,

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Even as the sun with purple-colour’d face

Had ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,

Rose-cheek’d Adonis hied him to the chase;

Hunting he lov’d, but love he laugh’d to scorn;

Sick-thoughted Venus makes amain unto him,

[5]

And like a bold-fac’d suitor ’gins to woo him.

‘Thrice fairer than myself,’ thus she began,

‘The field’s chief flower, sweet above compare,

Stain to all nymphs, more lovely than a man,

More white and red than doves or roses are;

[10]

Nature that made thee, with herself at strife,

Saith that the world hath ending with thy life.

‘Vouchsafe, thou wonder, to alight thy steed,

And rein his proud head to the saddle-bow;

If thou wilt deign this favour, for thy meed

[15]

A thousand honey secrets shalt thou know:

Here come and sit, where never serpent hisses;

And being set, I ’ll smother thee with kisses:

‘And yet not cloy thy lips with loath’d satiety,

But rather famish them amid their plenty,

[20]

Making them red and pale with fresh variety;

Ten kisses short as one, one long as twenty:

A summer’s day will seem an hour but short,

Being wasted in such time-beguiling sport.’

With this she seizeth on his sweating palm,

[25]

The precedent of pith and livelihood,

And, trembling in her passion, calls it balm,

Earth’s sovereign salve to do a goddess good:

Being so enrag’d, desire doth lend her force

Courageously to pluck him from his horse.

[30]

Over one arm the lusty courser’s rein,

Under her other was the tender boy,

Who blush’d and pouted in a dull disdain,

With leaden appetite, unapt to toy;

She red and hot as coals of glowing fire,

[35]

He red for shame, but frosty in desire.

The studded bridle on a ragged bough

Nimbly she fastens;—O! how quick is love:—

The steed is stalled up, and even now

To tie the rider she begins to prove:

[40]

Backward she push’d

Reviews for Venus And Adonis

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good poem, dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. Shakespeare regarded it as his first publication, and that statement necessarily excluded his dramatic work. Th poem is not a retelling of any Greek or Roman work, but a love story using the names the readers would find common enough to set the matter of the poem firmly in their minds without descending to the gritty particulars. It was quite popular during the playwright's lifetime. It bears up well under rereading.

[lizpatanders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of Shakespeare's narrative poems. It's been about a year and a half since I read it, but I remember really enjoying it at the time. It's beautifully written. One thing I found entertaining was the fact that Venus was so lustful and domineering over Adonis. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare's plays.

[jveezer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

According to Crispin Elsted, of the Barbarian Press, Venus & Adonis is one of two lengthy narrative poems written by Shakespeare early in his career, when plague forced the closure of the theatres and he took the opportunity to write something non-theatrical. This poem, The Rape of Lucrece, and probably the sonnets – or at least a good many of them – date from the early 1590s.Having recently read Lysistrata, I was struck by the two different approaches taken by the women in these two books. In Lysistrata, the women refuse to have sex with the men until they end a senseless war (Hmmmm...are you reading this Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Cheney?); while in Venus & Adonis the heroine tries to keep Adonis from dangerous boar hunting with all that her love can offer. It worked for Lysistrata but not for Venus. I love Shakespeare's use of natural imagery in the verse:Fondling, she saith, since I have hemd thee hereWithin the circuit of this ivorie pale,Ile be a parke, and thou shalt be my deare:Feed where thou wilt, on mountaine, or in dale;Graze on my lips, and if those hils be drie,Stray lower, where the pleasant fountaines lie.As for this edition from Barbarian Press, it is out of this world. The illustrations by Andy English are absolutely beautiful. The setting and choice of type and the binding make the book a joy to hold and read. This was my first book from the Barbarian Press and I highly recommend a look by those interested in small private presses. The proprietor's are delightful and knowledgeable as well.Venus & Adonis was shortlisted for the first Gregynog Prize for Letterpress Book Design, Oxford, 2005.