Sonnet 73
by William Shakespeare
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 ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st 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 see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Meanings of Sonnet 73
Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare presents a speaker who is talking about old age and love. The main idea of the sonnet is the arrival of death and the increasing intensity of love accompanying it.
Meanings of Lines 1-4
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 ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
The speaker tells his beloved that when she looks at him, she must observe that the time of the yellow leaves or no leaves or a few leaves hang over him. It means that he is getting old, and now he is no more a young fellow. The speaker also asks his beloved if she could view the deserted choir in him where the singing birds used to sing, but now they have gone. The church tree now has bare branches. The speaker states that his situation is of pure old age, which has made him devoid of every other sign of youthfulness. These verses present the main idea of old age.
Meanings of Lines 5-8
In me thou see’st 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.
The speaker is of the view that if his beloved wants to see the end of the day, she can see this dusk or twilight in him. By this, he means old age. It is because when the sun sets in the west, the darkness prevails. This blackness is the arrival of death. It seals the rest of the activities of man. Therefore, sleep is actually temporary death. The speaker wants to assert the end of his life that is approaching fast. These verses highlight the main idea of old age and the arrival of death.
Meanings of Lines 9-12
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.
The speaker, however, is not depressed much. He rather states that his beloved can trace ember in him. As his fire is dying but it has an ember in its ashes. It seems that when he is on his deathbed, he has some spark of life left as yet. Also, this fire will eventually die away on the very remains of the wood that has given fuel to it. It means that the beauty of his youth is still fresh in his old age. These verses highlight the main idea of old age and love.
Meanings of Lines 13-14
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
The speaker addresses his beloved, saying that she perceives this thing in him, which has made his love stronger than before. He also states that after knowing the fact that he is going to die or that he is going to leave, she would love him more. These verses show the main ideas of love and death.
Summary of Sonnet 73
- Popularity: Written by William Shakespeare, a renowned English poet and playwright, Sonnet 73 is a beautiful composition that compares life with the cosmos. It was first published in 1609. The poem explores the phenomenon of time and aging The popularity of the poem lies in the representation of life with time when compared with the whole universe.
- “Sonnet 73” Representative of Life and Time: As this poem is about the age of life, the poet tells his friend that he needs him the most in his old age when the spring of his life is going to fade away. The speaker illustrates that he has less time to live through vivid images such as “winter bough”, “twilight’s afterglow” and “fire’s dying”. These imageries reflect that he is heading toward his impending death. Therefore, he imagines himself on the deathbed, calling for the love and sympathy of his friend. He sums up the purpose of the revelation of his decreasing powers in the closing couplet, where he requests his friend to love him more when he is on the verge of death. The poem contains an important message that the power of true love can help us to pass the trials of our lives happily.
- Major Themes: The poem comprises two major themes; love and death. The natural imagery used in the poem develops the idea that death is unavoidable. Heading toward the end of life, the speaker portrays the cycle of life and the immortal nature of human beings. Considering man’s mortality, he explores the theme of love that will stand despite old age. In fact, he wants his love to understand the transience of life. To him, death will separate them. Therefore, they should make the most of what time has been offered to them.
Analysis of Literary Devices in Sonnet 73
Literary devices are tools that represent the writer’s ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is through these devices the writers make their words appealing to the readers. Shakespeare also used some literary devices in this poem to discuss the phenomenon of aging and time. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem is listed below.
- Alliteration: Alliteration refers to the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of poetry, such as /s/ sound in “Death’s second self that seals up all in rest.”
- Imagery: The use of imagery enables readers to understand the writer’s feelings and emotions. Shakespeare has used visual imagery such as, “When yellow leaves”, “sunset fadeth in the west,”, “by black night doth”, “thou see’st the twilight” and “boughs which shake against the cold.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is the act of using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from literal meanings. Shakespeare has used symbols such as “Black night “and “sunset fadeth.” Both night and sunset symbolically stand for end or death.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same line, such as /b/ sound in “Which by-and-by black night doth take away.”
- Personification: Personification is to attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. Shakespeare has used personification in the eighth line, “Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest” as if death is human to have a self.
- Metaphor: Shakespeare uses metaphors at several places in the poem such as, “When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang”, “the twilight of such day”, “black night” and “glowing of such fire that on the ashes of his youth doth lie.” These metaphors convey the late stages of his life. These phrases represent present, past, and future time.
- Metonymy: It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of things with something else with which it is closely associated. Here “bare ruin choirs” substitute the stripped branches.
Analysis of poetic devices in Sonnet 73
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.
- Sonnet: A Shakespearian sonnet consists of fourteen lines made up of three quatrains and one rhyming couplet.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza taken from Persian poetry. Here, first three stanzas are quatrains.
- Couplet: There are two constructive lines in a couplet, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme. This sonnet ends with a couplet, which usually reveals the central idea of the poem, such as,
“This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme followed by the entire sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem such as in the first and second lines of the first stanza, the rhyming words are, “behold”, “cold”, “hang” and “sang.”
- Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter consisting of five iambs. This poem comprises iambic pentameter such as, “That time of year thou mayst in me be”
Quotes to be Used
These lines can be used in a speech when discussing the changing wheel of nature. These can also be used when teaching the children about the autumn season that leaves the branches lifeless and bare.
“When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.”