# Poem of the Day

One classic poem, every day. Today's pick is chosen by the day of the year from our collection of fourteen public-domain poems.

Today's poem

## Sonnet 18

*William Shakespeare (1564–1616)*

    Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

[Read the full poem page, with biography, themes and reading note](/sonnet-18/)

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## Browse all poems

Explore the whole collection: [Classic poetry hub](/poetry/)

## Frequently asked questions

### How is the poem of the day chosen?

By the day of the year, modulo fourteen: January 1st always shows the same poem, January 2nd the next, and so on, cycling through all fourteen public-domain poems in our collection. Everyone sees the same poem on the same date.

### Can I read the poem for a different date?

Yes. Add ?date=YYYY-MM-DD to this page's URL to see the poem for any past or future date.

### Are these poems free to share?

Yes. All fourteen poems are in the public domain. Use the copy button to copy today's poem, then share it anywhere.

### Where can I read more about a poem?

Each poem has its own page with the full text, a biography of the poet, themes, and a reading note. Follow the link under today's poem.