A bad smell.
The line is, "If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head."
Shakespearean sonnet #130: My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun
Sonnet 130
ugly
Imperfect. Ugly
The line is, "If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head."
An example of hyperbole in Sonnet 130 would be "And in some perfumes is there more delight / Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks." The comparison of a mistress's breath to a foul smell is an exaggerated and intentionally unrealistic statement for effect.
Shakespearean sonnet #130: My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun
Sonnet 130
ugly
black wire
Imperfect. Ugly
The blush that accompanies a rose
Shakespeare says: 'My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun'
These lines from Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 are an example of paradox. The speaker is using a paradox to show that despite the unpleasant comparison of his mistress to perfume, there is still something delightful about her. The use of paradox adds complexity and depth to the speaker's feelings.
In sonnet 130, the speaker mentions that his mistress's cheeks are not as red as coral. He is highlighting the honesty in his love by comparing her to realistic, ordinary things rather than using exaggerated, flowery language.
The relevant lines say:And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.Though the word "reeks" suggests an unpleasant smell in modern English, it usually did not in Shakespeare's time. He used it to mean "exudes" or "emanates". Here, then, he is likening the mistress' breath to a scent - one which is less delightful than some, but is not necessarily unpleasant.