Embedded Files
Against my love shall be as I am now
With times injurious hand chrusht and ore-worne,
When houres have dreind his blood and fild his brow
With lines and wrincles, when his youthfull morne
Hath travaild on to Ages steepie night,
And all those beauties whereof now he's King
Are vanishing, or vanisht out of sight,
Stealing away the tresure of his Spring.
For such a time do I now fortifie
Against confounding Age's cruell knife,
That he shall never cut from memory
My sweet loves beauty, though my lovers life.
His beautie shall in these blacke lines be seene,
And they shall live, and he in them still greene.
Commentary
Commentary
Address on time to his beloved
Address on time to his beloved
Changes made to the original text: line 10, 'Ages' changed to 'Age's', which is necessary to indicate that Age (singular) is referred to by the 'he' in line 11.
In the octet, the poet postulates the time when his beloved has become as old as he (the poet), and the marks of his beauty are gone. 'Against' can be read 'Against the time when'.
In the third quatrain, the poet says he is preparing himself against 'Age's cruell knife', so that he retains a memory or a memory is retained of his beloved's beauty, though he may lose his own life, or the beloved may die.
In the final couplet, the poet asserts that the beloved's beauty will live on in his verses.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse