Shakespeare's Sonnet 77

Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,Thy dial how thy precious minutes waste;These vacant leaves thy mind’s imprint will bear,And of this book, this learning mayst thou taste.The wrinkles which thy glass will truly showOf mouthed graves will give thee memory;Thou by thy dial’s shady stealth mayst knowTime’s thievish progress to eternity.Look! what thy memory cannot contain,Commit to these waste blanks, and thou shalt findThose children nursed, deliver’d from thy brain,To take a new acquaintance of thy mind.These offices, so oft as thou wilt look,Shall profit thee and much enrich thy book.

Your mirror will show you how your beauty wears away,
Your sundial how your precious minutes pass.
These empty pages will hold the imprint of your mind,
And from this book you can gain this knowledge:
The wrinkles your mirror faithfully shows
Will remind you of the open mouths of graves.
From the quiet movement of your sundial’s shadow, you can learn
How Time steals onward toward eternity.
Whatever your memory cannot hold,
Write on these blank pages, and you will find
Those children born from your brain cared for,
Ready to become acquainted with your mind again.
These tasks, whenever you choose to look,
Will benefit you and greatly enrich your book.