When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes I all alone beweep my outcast state, And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself, and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd, Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising, Haply I think on thee,

This is an excerpt from Sonnet 29, written by William Shakespeare.

Explanation:

Sonnet 29 was written by William Shakespeare, as a part of The "Fair Youth" Sequence. The sequence contains poems in which the poet directly addresses a mysterious young man.

The poem is about the speaker's feelings of depression and sadness, which he overcomes by thinking about love. The speaker admits that he feels isolated and is convinced that he is "an outcast." He envies other people for their appearance, friends, skills and opportunities, which results in his dissatisfaction. However, when he thinks about the man whom he addresses in this poem, he feels better.