A morning Sonnet

I have recently become quite fascinated by Shakespeare's Sonnets, from a historical and literary point of view...

Published in 1609, and with poetic themes like love, beauty, politics and mortality, I have been entranced reading through them!

I have also, for some time been interested in the idea of writing a song using words that I have not written myself.  Rather like Elton John taking the lyrics of Bernie Taupin and making a musical masterpiece.  

I had thought of amusing myself by taking words from the back of a cereal box or something similar, to show that emotion through music, needs no particular words; but then again, I hate cereal!  So late last night, (which is always the time when writers' inspired minds come out to play), I wrote a song to the words of the infamous dedication written at the beginning of Shakespeare's Sonnets.  The original inscription appears below...

I understand the interesting thing about this dedication, is it has always been a mystery as to who actually wrote it!  And to whom exactly, it is dedicated to.  It is speculated that 'T.T.' was Shakespeare's publisher Thomas Thorpe, however the reference to 'Mr. W.H' in the dedication is still a mystery to this day!  What a lovely mystery!

The capital letters, and the full stops after every word, it is believed, were intended to make the inscription look like an Ancient Roman printing.  To make the sonnets seem like they had been around for centuries...  Shakespeare is said to have always declared that the sonnets would outlast such earthly things as stone and monuments, and inscriptions.  So maybe, it is a nonsensical set of words, designed to confuse and delight his fans for ever more!  

Either way, I have found it very inspiring...

TO. THE. ONLY. BEGETTER. OF

THESE. ENSUING. SONNETS.

Mr. W.H. ALL. HAPPINESS.

AND. THAT. ETERNITY.

PROMISED.

BY.

THE. EVER - LIVING POET.

WISHETH.

THE. WELL - WISHING.

ADVENTURER. IN.

SETTING.

FORTH.

Shell xx