Shakespeare's Sonnet 73
February 2nd 2009 02:22
That time of year thou may'st in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which though must leave ere long.
Some clarification things first. "choirs" in the first stanza refers to choirlofts in churches. "By and by" means soon or presently. "Seest" was pronounced as one syllable, not like "see-est" as some people say today.
Basically, the speaker is comparing his old age to different things, and in the final couplet tells the lover to love him well, since he'll be gone soon. However, this poem isn't just a simple exercise in metaphor. The metaphor of the speaker as a tree in winter and as the day fading to night are poignant, but there's one things that makes these two images strange in this context: they don't stay in the deteriorated state. Spring comes and leaves and vitality return to trees; dawn comes and banishes the darkness of night. But the third image--the image of the fire--is final and irrevocable. It's almost like the speaker was subconsciously struggling with the concept of his own death, and finally accepted it before the end.
The fire metaphor is particularly interested once taken apart. The fire's ashes are compared to--what once was--the speaker's youth and liveliness which is now burnt out and is the cause of the fire's quenching. A very complex metaphor laden with possible meanings.
The poem is mostly iambic, but there are some spondaic substitutions ("BARE RUined," "DEATH'S SECond" etc.) that give the poem a sort of heaviness--a sense of reluctant admission. Then in the third stanza I read the third line as a dibrach and then a spondee ("as the DEATHBED") a strange wave rushing onto a firm rock in the midst of an otherwise flowing stanza. Even the rhythm of the poem reflects the speaker's psyche.
Aside from these aesthetic points, the poem is punctuated well: the punctuation marks give appropriate emphasis to certain words and phrases as well as giving the reader well-timed pauses to regain their breath.
This is a poignant, melancholy poem that changes seemingly negative images and concepts into something acceptable and inevitable. It has an aching beauty. This is definitely one of my favorite poems of Shakespeare.
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
Some clarification things first. "choirs" in the first stanza refers to choirlofts in churches. "By and by" means soon or presently. "Seest" was pronounced as one syllable, not like "see-est" as some people say today.
Basically, the speaker is comparing his old age to different things, and in the final couplet tells the lover to love him well, since he'll be gone soon. However, this poem isn't just a simple exercise in metaphor. The metaphor of the speaker as a tree in winter and as the day fading to night are poignant, but there's one things that makes these two images strange in this context: they don't stay in the deteriorated state. Spring comes and leaves and vitality return to trees; dawn comes and banishes the darkness of night. But the third image--the image of the fire--is final and irrevocable. It's almost like the speaker was subconsciously struggling with the concept of his own death, and finally accepted it before the end.
The fire metaphor is particularly interested once taken apart. The fire's ashes are compared to--what once was--the speaker's youth and liveliness which is now burnt out and is the cause of the fire's quenching. A very complex metaphor laden with possible meanings.
The poem is mostly iambic, but there are some spondaic substitutions ("BARE RUined," "DEATH'S SECond" etc.) that give the poem a sort of heaviness--a sense of reluctant admission. Then in the third stanza I read the third line as a dibrach and then a spondee ("as the DEATHBED") a strange wave rushing onto a firm rock in the midst of an otherwise flowing stanza. Even the rhythm of the poem reflects the speaker's psyche.
Aside from these aesthetic points, the poem is punctuated well: the punctuation marks give appropriate emphasis to certain words and phrases as well as giving the reader well-timed pauses to regain their breath.
This is a poignant, melancholy poem that changes seemingly negative images and concepts into something acceptable and inevitable. It has an aching beauty. This is definitely one of my favorite poems of Shakespeare.
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