Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet LXIII explained
The poet reflects on the inevitable decay that time will inflict upon his beloved, imagining the loss of youth and beauty.
What happens
The poet reflects on the inevitable decay that time will inflict upon his beloved, imagining the loss of youth and beauty. He fortifies himself against this future by asserting that his verse will preserve the beloved's beauty eternally, even after his life has ended.
Themes in this chapter
Time and Mortality
The poem directly addresses Time's destructive power over youth and beauty, and the poet's struggle against aging and death.
Art and Immortality
The poet claims that his verse (these black lines) will preserve the beloved's beauty forever, transcending mortal decay.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Against my love shall be, as I am now, With Time’s injurious hand crush’d and o’erworn;”
My beloved will one day be like I am now—worn down and damaged by Time's cruel hand.
The poet imagines his beloved's future aging and decay.
“His beauty shall in these black lines be seen, And they shall live, and he in them still green.”
His beauty will be visible in these dark lines of poetry, and while the verses endure, he will remain forever youthful within them.
The poet asserts that his writing will grant the beloved eternal beauty.