Sonnet 129: "Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame"

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame

Is lust in action; and till action, lust

Is perjur'd, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame,

Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;

Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight;

Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had,

Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait,

On purpose laid to make the taker mad:

Mad in pursuit, and in possession so;

Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;

A bliss in proof, and prov'd, a very woe;

Before, a joy propos'd; behind, a dream.

  All this the world well knows; yet none knows well

  To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

NOTESForm: sonnet: ababcdcdefefgg1-2. Th' expense ... action. The meaning will appear clearly if lust in action is regarded as the subject. Note the pun on "waste"/"waist." expense: expenditure.Visit the Shakespeare Glossary for vocabulary questions!