Sonnet 60

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< Sonnet 60 >

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Nativity, once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd,
Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.
–William Shakespeare

Sonnet 60 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It's a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Sonnet 60 focuses upon the theme of time passing . This is one of the major themes of Shakespeare sonnets, it can be seen in Sonnet 1 as well. Like sonnets 1-126, Sonnet 60 was addressed to "a fair youth" whose identity is questioned. In the last two lines (the couplet) the speaker says that his verse will live on and therefore make the beauty of the beloved immortal.

The sonnet compares minutes to waves on a pebbled shore regularly replacing each other. The rising of the sun setting is used as a metaphor for human life. Time is also depicted as halting youth.

[edit] Analysis

This sonnet is arranged into three quatrains which focus upon one metaphor each. There are numerous concrete images given to abstract concepts such as "Time" in "waves" and "minutes" or "Death" in the "pebbled shore."

[edit] See also

Shakespeare's sonnets

[edit] External links