1 Unthrifty loveliness why dost thou spend,
Wasteful beauty, why do you squander You beautiful spender, why throw it all away why are you wasting yourself
2 Upon thyself thy beauty’s legacy?
Your beauty's inheritance only on yourself? burning all that beauty just on yourself? all that beauty, just for you
3 Nature’s bequest gives nothing but doth lend,
Nature doesn't give gifts; she only lends, Nature doesn't give—she lends you beauty like a loan, nature's just lending you beauty
4 And being frank she lends to those are free:
And generously lends to those who will use it freely. and she gives freely to those who'll pass it on. to people who'll share it
5 Then beauteous niggard why dost thou abuse,
So beautiful miser, why do you abuse So why, you gorgeous cheapskate, do you abuse why are you hoarding it
6 The bounteous largess given thee to give?
This generous gift you were meant to give forward? this lavish beauty you were supposed to share? something meant to be shared
7 Profitless usurer why dost thou use
Unprofitable investor, why do you exploit You're like a terrible banker—why are you hoarding you're like a bad investor
8 So great a sum of sums yet canst not live?
Such vast wealth yet cannot even sustain yourself? all this treasure but you can't even profit from it? all this wealth but you get nothing
9 For having traffic with thyself alone,
Because dealing only with yourself, Because you're just dealing with yourself, you're just stuck with you
10 Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive,
You rob yourself of your own sweetness. you rob yourself of what makes you valuable. cheating yourself out of life
11 Then how when nature calls thee to be gone,
Then when death comes to claim you, So when you die—and you will— when you finally die
12 What acceptable audit canst thou leave?
What acceptable accounting can you leave behind? what can you show for any of it? what's left to show for your life
Volta The couplet reveals the stakes: unused beauty dies with the body, but beauty that's used (through children) lives on through them.
13 Thy unused beauty must be tombed with thee,
Your unused beauty must be buried with you, Your beauty dies with you if you don't use it. your beauty goes to the grave
14 Which used lives th’ executor to be.
But beauty used lives on as the executor of your will. But if you use it—have kids—it lives on forever through them. but kids keep you alive forever