William Shakespeare’s “As fast as thou shalt wane...” (Sonnet 11)
The Daily Poem

William Shakespeare’s “As fast as thou shalt wane...” (Sonnet 11)

C2ProficientOctober 7, 20265 min
  • Arts & culture

In today’s poem the bard urges his subject not to bury the gifts of Nature in the grave. Happy reading. Want to send your teen to a day of Shakespearean wisdom (and folly) this July? You can find out more about the CiRCE Institute National Conference and our Pre-Conference event for high schoolers here: Love All, Trust a Few This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

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and today is Wednesday, October 7th, 2026. Today's poem is by William Shakespeare. It is

. , ,

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0:00

Welcome back to The Daily Poem, a podcast from Goldberry Studios. I'm Sean Johnson, and today is Wednesday, October 7th, 2026. Today's poem is by William Shakespeare. It is sonnet number 11 in his sonnet sequence. I'll read it once, offer a few comments, and read it one more time.

0:25

Sonnet 11. As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou gross'd in one of thine, from that which thou departest, and that fresh blood which youngly thou bestowest, thou mayst call thine when thou from youth convertest.

0:41

Herein lives wisdom, beauty, and increase, without this folly, age, and cold decay. If all were minded so, the times should cease, and threescore year would make the world away. Let those whom Nature hath not made for store, harsh, featureless, and rude, barrenly perish. Look whom she best endowed she gave the more, which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty

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