Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth
By John Milton
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stol’n on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew’th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth
That I to manhood am arriv’d so near;
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits endu’th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure ev’n
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav’n:
All is, if I have grace to use it so
As ever in my great Task-Master’s eye.
Summary of Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth
- Popularity of “Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time”: Written by the English icon writer, poet, orator and rhetorician, John Milton, this beautiful sonnet first appeared in 1632. Milton was quite young when he wrote it. However, he never published it. Later, when he collected his sonnets, he published in 1645. The sonnet presents time as a criminal, who has stolen the prime years of his life. The beauty of the poem lies in this presentation of the time as a thief that has not allowed the poet an opportunity to do something laudable.
- “Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time” As a Representative of Time and God’s Will: Using an exclamatory statement, the poet declares that Time is a clever thief. It has stolen 23 years of his life due to which he has not achieved anything good in his life. Therefore, he sees that his full career has not started as yet but his prime years have flown away very fast. His spring seems to him quite far away. He still looks inward and thinks that he is not physically suitable to become the man he has aspired to be. He also does not seem inwardly mature. However, none of these things matter, for he has full trust in God, and nothing will happen to him without the design of God. Equating time with God, he declares that only “the will of Heaven” and Time will tell what he becomes.
- Major Themes in “Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time”: Speed of time, will of heaven, and acceptance of the poet about what happens to him are major themes of this sonnet. The poet has beautifully and metaphorically presented the speed of time equating time to a criminal. He is of the view that even before he knows the actual situation, the time has already stolen his years very fast, and yet he has done nothing. He has matured and yet he has not achieved anything tangible in his life. However, he immediately comes to the point saying that it is the will of God that he will do whatever He has designed for him. He also accepts that Time will bring something good for him. Therefore, this acceptance of whatever comes to him seems to be the mainstay of this sonnet.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth
John Milton’s use of literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem surpasses his expectations. Some of the major literary devices he has used here are as follows.
- Allusion: It is a reference to a literary, historical, and social event or incident, or figure to show its importance in the existing context. The poet used the allusions of religion, such as Heaven and Time.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /o/ in “Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow” and the sound of /i/ in “It shall be still in strictest measure ev’n.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /b/ in “bud or blossom” or /s/ in “still in strictest.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /b/ in “But my late spring no bud or blossom shew’th” and the sound of /m/ in “That some more timely-happy spirits endu’th.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Milton has used imagery in this poem, such as “That some more timely-happy spirits endu’th”, “It shall be still in strictest measure ev’n” and “Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav’n.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of thief for Time.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as thief, career, year, spring, and blossom, to point out the speed of time.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 7: How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows very good use of formal and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. John Milton used end rhyme in this poem, such as year/career and near/appear.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABBAABBA in its octave and DEFEDF in its sestet.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas; the first is an octave, and the second is sestet.
- Sonnet: It is a poem having fourteen verses. This poem is a sonnet.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a remorseful tone in the beginning, but it turns out optimistic in the end.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote to show trust in God.
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav’n:
All is, if I have grace to use it so
As ever in my great Task-Master’s eye.
