Shakespeare's Sonnets: IV

Much like Sonnet III, Sonnet IV exhorts the young man to marry and have children, and not waste his time in frivolous pleasures. He has been given a gift, whether of beauty or talent or intelligence, (Shakespeare speaks mostly of beauty, but it could stand for any gift) and owes it to future generations to pass it on. If he doesn’t use this gift wisely, it will die with him. He uses the comparison to a money lender who is miserly (“beauteous niggard”).

Sonnet IV

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend

Upon thyself thy beauty’s legacy?

Nature’s bequest gives nothing, but doth lend,

And being frank, she lends to those are free.

Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse

The bounteous largess given thee to give?

Profitless usurer, why dost thou use

So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?

For having traffic with thyself alone,

Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive.

Then how, when nature calls thee to be gone,

What acceptable audit canst thou leave?

                Thy unused beauty must be tomb’d with thee,

                Which, used, lives th’ executor to be.