This is one of 154 sonnets that Shakespeare wrote, which were circulated amongst colleagues of his patron the Earl of Southampton. 1-126 were addressed to a "fair youth," 127-154 to a "dark lady."
Three of the songs on All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu are adaptations of Shakespeare's sonnets. Wainwright composed music for each of the trio, along with several others, after playwright/director Robert Wilson asked him to help on his 2009 production Sonette, which premiered in Berlin in April 2009. "I knew a little bit about the sonnets, but I'd never immersed myself in them before, and I really did for this project," Wainwright explained to Billboard magazine. "Once you dip into that stream you're pretty much rushed down the river by the beauty of it all. There is an innate musicality within the vowels and the consonants and the spaces and so forth. My life changed after the sonnet, so I thought it was necessary to present that new addition to my lexicon."
Sonnet 43
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For all the day they view things unrespected
But when I sleep in dreams they look on thee
And darkly bright are bright in dark directed.
Then thou whose shadow, shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow's form, form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light
How would, I say mine eyes be blessed made
By looking on thee in the living day
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay
All days are nights to see till I see thee
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me
The lyrics to Rufus Wainwright's song Sonnet 43 are based on William Shakespeare's Sonnet 43. The first two lines of the sonnet mean that the singer's eyes see things better when they are shut or in other words, when he is asleep. During the day, he sees things that he does not value, but in his dreams, he sees the person he loves. The third and fourth lines state that when the singer falls asleep and dreams, the brightness of the person he loves illuminates the dark of his dreams.
The next four lines speak to the happiness that the singer's love creates in his life. Even the shadows cast by his love, bring light and happiness. The singer then wonders how much more joy his love could bring to him in the daytime when he can fully see the person's qualities. The last four lines talk about how the singer's days are dark until he sees his love and when he dreams, his love brings brightness to his nights.
In summary, the song talks about how the singer's love brings brightness and happiness to his life and how he only truly sees the beauty of life when he is with his love.
Line by Line Meaning
When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
My eyes see best when I close them because during the day, they see things that aren't worthy of recognition
For all the day they view things unrespected
Throughout the day, my eyes witness events or sights that lack appreciation
But when I sleep in dreams they look on thee
However, when I sleep and dream, my eyes become fixated on you
And darkly bright are bright in dark directed.
Even in the darkest of my dreams, thoughts of you illuminate my mind
Then thou whose shadow, shadows doth make bright,
Your presence is enough to brighten even the darkest corners of my mind
How would thy shadow's form, form happy show
I wonder how joyful your shadow would look, especially compared to the clarity of your physical form
To the clear day with thy much clearer light
In the clear light of day, your physical form shines even more brilliantly
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so
Even to blind eyes, your mere shadow brings light to their sight
How would, I say mine eyes be blessed made
I wonder how grateful I would feel If I could look at you with my own two eyes instead of just in dreams
By looking on thee in the living day
How much happier would I be if I could see you in reality, during normal everyday life
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
During pitch-black evenings filled with dreams or restless sleep, I long to see even the faintest silhouette of you
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay
Although I cannot see you with my physical eyes in deep, sleeping states, the thought of you remains imprinted on my mind.
All days are nights to see till I see thee
Until I am able to see and be with you, every day feels as if it is a never-ending night
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me
But in my dreams if I get a glimpse of you, even the darkest of nights seems like a bright day.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: , TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind