Shakespeare's Sonnet 12 covers familiar ground (beauty and the passage of time), and ends with a message present in his very first sonnet - have children!
Sonnet 12: When I Do Count the Clock that Tells the Time
by William Shakespeare
When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls, all silvered o’er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves,
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
Retrieved from No Sweat Shakespeare (https://nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/12/).
But how will an AI visually interpret this Sonnet? To answer this question, I used ChatGPT and asked it to create an image interpreting Sonnet 12. The prompt ChatGPT came up with is below (the image is at the top of this post).
My prompt:
Create a prompt for a visual interpretation of Shakespeare's Sonnet #12 in fine art black and white ink.
ChatGPT's prompt:
A black and white ink illustration capturing the essence of Shakespeare's Sonnet #12. The scene is set in a timeless landscape where the passage of time is symbolized by a majestic ancient tree with withering leaves. To the left, a sundial casts a long shadow, representing the inevitable march of time. In the background, a field of wilting flowers echoes the poem's themes of decay and beauty fading. A wise, melancholic figure stands beneath the tree, gazing pensively at an hourglass. Delicate details in the ink work highlight the contrast between light and shadow, evoking a sense of nostalgia and the relentless flow of time.
The resulting image was a bit heavy on the use of symbols for my taste, so I did some tweaking and came up with this image:
Prompt:
A vertical black and white portrait illustration with dark black blacks and pure white whites, inspired by Shakespeare's Sonnet #12. It features an old man holding a decaying white rose, resting against an old gnarled twisted tree. The illustration is meticulous, featuring stippling and cross-hatching techniques. The limbs of the tree are barren of leaves, and the field surrounding the tree is wilted and barren as well. The contrast between the intense blacks and whites enhances the melancholic and timeless atmosphere.
Shakespeare Sonnet Challenge
I have opened a Shakespeare Sonnet challenge to the NightCafe community. Participants are encouraged to submit their own interpretations of Sonnet 12. Additional prizes have been offered for
Most Original
Best Black and White
Best SD (any non XL SD checkpoint)
Best LoRa combination of 3 or more
Best Abstract
And the results: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/game/eg1Yqd0jLin553CDqNiF/results