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Devouring time blunt thou the Lyon's pawes,
And make the earth devoure her owne sweet brood,
Plucke the keene teeth from the fierce Tygers yawes,
And burne the long liv'd Phaenix in her blood;
Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleet'st,
And do what ere thou wilt swift-footed time
To the wide world and all her fading sweets:
But I forbid thee one most hainous crime;
O carve not with thy howers my loves faire brow,
Nor draw noe lines there with thine antique pen,
Him in thy course untainted doe allow,
For beauties patterne to succeeding men.
Yet doe thy worst ould Time dispight thy wrong,
My love shall in my verse ever live young.
Commentary
Commentary
Address to time
Address to time
Changes to original text: lines 4 and 8, comma changed for semi-colon.
In the first quatrain, the poet addresses time, and allows that time shall age the lion, the tyger, and the phoenix, and that the earth shall swallow everything she produces.
In the second quatrain, the poet licenses time to change whatever it wills, the seasons, all beautiful things, but exhorts it not to commit one heinous crime.
The third quatrain expresses an appeal to time to leave the fair young man untainted, unmarked by lines.
In the final couplet, the poet expresses defiance to time: do your worst, my love will always live young in my verse.
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