From fairest creatures

"From fairest creatures" is the first sonnet written by William Shakespeare, as well as the first of his Fair Youth Sequence and the first of the Procreation Sonnets.

Original text
From faireꭍt creatures we deꭍire increaꭍe That thereby beauty's Roꭍe might neuer die But as the riper ꭍhould by time deꭍease, His tender heire might beare his memory: But thou contracted to owne bright eyes, Feed'ꭍt thy lights flame with ꭍelꭍe ꭍubꭍtantiall fewell Making a famine where aboundance lies, Thy ꭍelꭍe thy foe, to thy ꭍweet ꭍelꭍe too cruell: Thou that art now the worlds freꭍh ornament, And only herauld to the gaudy ꭍpring, Within thine owne bud burieꭍt they content, And tender chorle makꭍt waꭍt in niggarding: Pitty the world, or elꭍe this glutton be, To eate the worlds due, by the graue and thee.

Modern English
From fairest creatures we desire increase, That thereby beauty’s rose might never die, But as the riper should by time decease His tender heir might bear his memory: But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes, Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel, Making a famine where abundance lies, Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel. Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament, And only herald to the gaudy spring, Within thine own bud buriest thy content, And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding. Pity the world, or else this glutton be, To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee.