When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste.
Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,
And moan th' expense of many a vanish'd sight.
Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of fore-bemoanèd moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.

The Weekly Sonnet

July 1999. British American Drama Academy Midsummer in Oxford. Each student spent the first week studying one sonnet of Shakespeare. This meant we studied quite a few of the sonnets as we each worked through one in class. The actress Fiona Shaw devoted her entire master class to the sonnets.

Of course, one could (should) spend a lifetime exploring these miniature worlds. They are thick with images, colors, flavors, smells, ideas, and questions. And a lot of great words.

If you're interested in more, try The Collected Works of Shakespeare.