Sonnet #90

[Admin]

Sonnet #90

XC.

Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now;
Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross,
Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow,
And do not drop in for an after-loss:
Ah, do not, when my heart hath 'scoped this sorrow,
Come in the rearward of a conquer'd woe;
Give not a windy night a rainy morrow,
To linger out a purposed overthrow.
If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last,
When other petty griefs have done their spite
But in the onset come; so shall I taste
At first the very worst of fortune's might,
And other strains of woe, which now seem woe,
Compared with loss of thee will not seem so.

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[grigioverde]

Could someone explain me the fourth line?

[Corvus Corax]

a great sonnet havent read this one for ages was nice to come back for a refresh xx

[Nick Capozzoli]

Could someone explain me the fourth line?

And do not drop in for an after-loss

I think S. means "Don't wait till later to put me down...just pile on right now with everyone else when I'm down."

[Ruben Meijerink]

Yes, that's it. In an article on sonnet 90, there's this: "Drop in" bitingly recalls the friendly informality of the former relationship. "Don't casually come to me with your hate-an 'after-loss' or 'later-loss'-after the world has turned against me." He implies, in line 4, that his friend finds a sadistic enjoyment in choosing the moment to desert him when friendship might mean the most.