Shakespeare doth maketh me mad
This text, taken from the first page of Shakespeare's Sonnets (1609) is giving me grief, and I wondered if anyone might care to comment? The dedication in full reads:
TO.THE.ONLY.BEGETTER.OF.
THESE.ENSUING.SONNETS.
Mr.W.H. ALL.HAPPINESS.
AND.THAT.ETERNITY.
PROMISED.
BY.
OUR.EVER-LIVING.POET.
WISHETH.
THE.WELL-WISHING.
ADVENTURER.IN.
SETTING.
FORTH.
T. T.
Ignoring the old-fashioned style and peculiar punctuation, what I am having difficulty with is that the grammar seems strange: all's well up to BY (in the sixth line), but then it kind of goes weird. What you think?
Thanks in advance for any assistance
re that sonnets dedication
Thanks for that Charles.
I was more concerned with the way the text seems to change after the single BY, and I wonder what you make of this:
To the only begetter of these ensuing sonnets Mr. W. H, all happiness, and that eternity promised".
The ever-living poet wisheth the well-wishing adventurer is setting forth."
When the BY comes into play it throws everything out of kilter
Am I reading the thing wrong?
regards
re that sonnets dedication again
Thanks again Charles. It does make more sense now, except that the sentence beginning with 'wisheth' seems a bit odd.
Who wisheth?
The first line is reasonable: it can be written as 'To Mr WH, all happiness and that eternity promised by our ever-living poet'.
But to begin a sentence with 'wisheth' ? I could get it if it were T.T. wisheth...
but surely not 'wisheth' on its own?
And who is 'The well-wishing adventurer'? Where is he setting forth to?
You got to admit it, someone was half asleep when they wrote that text!
Thanks again and regards.