Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst 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.

INTRODUCTION -

The sonnet "That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold" is written by the famous poet and playwright William Shakespeare. It is also known as Sonnet 73 and is a part of the Fair Youth Sonnet Sequence. The sonnet was written likely in the 1590s but was published much later in 1609. As most of the first 126 Shakespearean sonnets, this poem speaks about true love, which is addressed to a young man, i.e., Fair Youth. The poem is an Elizabethan sonnet, and so its 14 lines are divided into three quatrains and one couplet. Also, the rhyme scheme of the sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The poem is unique because it mixes the decline and decay of old age and death with love's immortality. Neither time nor death cannot defeat true love.

POET -

William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616) was an Elizabethan poet, dramatist, and essayist. He is considered the greatest figure in English literature. During his lifetime, he wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. Even after five centuries, his works still possess their importance and popularity. His famous dramas include Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest, etc.

SUMMARY -

LINES 1 TO 4 -

The poet starts by saying that he is sure that his lover must be reminded of the autumn season whenever his lover looks at him. During autumn, the trees have only a few yellow leaves, or they turn leafless. He further says that he must be seeing the church choirs in him, which once used to hold singing words but now is bare. There is no life in him, just barrenness. Autumn is seen as a symbol of the loss of life as everything goes inert, so the poet thinks that his lover sees that in him; lifelessness and decay.

LINES 5 TO 8 -

He further says that his lover must see the moments of twilight in him, which is when the sun sets in the west direction. And after it, slowly, the darkness of night takes over everything. Here, night and its darkness are compared to death because just as night temporarily closes our eyes for sleep, death will one day permanently close our eyes. The poet's comparison of himself is becoming more gloomy as he understands that he has turned too old and death is just the next step.

LINES 9 TO 14 -

The poet adds that his lover would notice him as a dying fire whose light is slowly fading and lying on its ashes like a deathbed. It is so because just as the fire will ultimately consume the firewood and turn it into ashes, similarly, his life is mostly burnt, and now he is quite close to his deathbed. But the last lines attract our attention when the poet says that even after noticing everything, his lover doesn't turn away from him; instead, his love for him has turned stronger. The lover loves the poet even more because he knows the poet will die soon, so they have limited time left with them.

THEMES -

• Old Age and death - The poet, throughout the whole poem, describes his aging and how close he is to his demise. He compares himself to the autumn season, twilight, and dying fire to make his example clear.
• Love - The poet describes his love for his lover and vice versa. The lover is fully aware of the short time he has with the poet but still refuses to leave him, and it has surely turned their love stronger.

END -

Hence, we can conclude that the speaker compares himself to nature through his transition from "the physical act of aging to his final act of dying, and then to his death." Shakespeare thus compares his youth's fading through the three elements of the universe: the fading of life, the fading of the light, and the dying of the fire. It is a gradual series of hopelessness. However, many people point out the wrong in this sonnet. After autumn, spring arrives. After every night, there is a beautiful day. But only the tree that has been chopped into logs and burned into ashes will never grow again. So, we can say that the poem though having a gloomy mood, is correct on its level.