Return to Shakespeare's Sonnet 54 |
5.
canker-blooms: dog roses, which are not as sweetly scented as the more familiar damask roses, which are just called "roses" in this sonnet.
5.
dye: color.
6.
tincture: color.
7.
wantonly: sensuously.
9.
for: because. their virtue only is their show i.e., their appearance is their only virtue.
10.
unrespected: unregarded.
14.
distills: to concentrate or purify by separating the essential elements.