In William Blake's poem The Land of Dreams a father is comforting his son who, in his sleep, is crying for his lost mother.
A modern English interpretation could be "Why do you cry in your sleep (... wake up, your father is here)"
Juliet
Why in the world would you want to reword it? It's perfect as it is. Unless perhaps you haven't caught on to the "thou art" and "thou hast" and "thou dost" usage. Back in Shakespeare's day, that was how you talked to your good friends, your lover, your childhood nurse, your pets and your servants. To others you would say "you are", "you have" and "you do".
Juliet says in Act 3 Scene 5: "O fortune, fortune! all men call thee fickle: If thou art fickle, what dost thou with him. That is renown'd for faith? Be fickle, fortune; For then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long, But send him back." Fickle meant the same then as it does now--changing and uncertain.
1. "What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night so stublest on my counsel?" 2. "How camest thou hither, tell me?" 3. "And wherefore?" (camest thou hither) 4. "By whose direction found'st thou out this place?" 5. "Dost thou love me?" 6. "What satisfaction canst thou have this night?" 7. "At what o'clock tomorrow shall I send to thee?" 8. "Wilt thou be gone?" 9. "Art thou gone so?" The first seven are from Act 2 scene 2, the last two from Act 3 Scene 5.
Shakespeare wrote in Elizabethan English, but he had an affinity for the older forms of the second person singular. Although by his time most people used the second person plural forms (you, your, yours) in the singular sense as we do today, Shakespeare liked the old distinctively singular forms (thou, thy, thine). These pronouns took verb endings in -st or -t: thou dost (for you do), thou hast (for you have), thou wilt (for you will). Thou shalt thus means "you shall" and will be instantly recognizable to many people from its use in the King James Bible version of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not kill", for example. The KJ version of the Bible was also written in Elizabethan English, and an even more old-fashioned form than Shakespeare used.
Dost is a form of the verb to do, as "I do", "Thou dost", "He does". The "thou" forms of verbs are rarely seen any more, and "thou dost" would usually be said "you do" So, 'if thou dost pronounce it faithfully' means 'if you do mean what you say'
What does "What dost thou" mean is the correct question. The previous answer given was right: it means "What do you ... ?" In olden times, "you" was the polite form and "thou" was the familiar form (today we sometimes think of them backwards from what they were) and "dost" was a form in olden times similar to the form we still use today, "does." "What dost thou intend toward my daughter?" would mean "What are your intentions toward my daughter?"
It generally means Dost thou have a house? But it could also be a declarative sentence: Thou hast a house.
Thou knowest. Thy questions are questionable.
To whom thy secret thou dost tell, To him thy freedom thou dost sell.
I know not, for if I did, I would ask for enlightenment on WikiAnswers.
This means that when you reveal a secret to someone, you are essentially giving them power over you or your actions. It suggests that sharing confidential information can make you vulnerable or exposed to potential manipulation or control.
why dost thou wish to dehydrate yon potato? Ist thou a witch? Shalt thou repent, or be burned at yon stake!
Juliet
Why in the world would you want to reword it? It's perfect as it is. Unless perhaps you haven't caught on to the "thou art" and "thou hast" and "thou dost" usage. Back in Shakespeare's day, that was how you talked to your good friends, your lover, your childhood nurse, your pets and your servants. To others you would say "you are", "you have" and "you do".
Certainly! Here are some sentences using thee, thou, thy: I beseech thee, do not leave me. Thou art my dearest friend. Thy presence brings me great joy. I offer this gift to thee in gratitude.
We need some context here. I assume you are talking about "thou have to say" which is a fragment of a sentence and means nothing unless the sentence is completed. Since the verb "have" does not agree with the pronoun "thou" (the correct form would be "hast"), we have to assume that there is some other verb in the sentence. Perhaps it was "What dost thou have to say?" but I'm just guessing.