Sonnet 12 - When I do count the clock that tells the time

When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;

When lofty trees I see barren of leaves

Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,

And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves

Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,

Then of thy beauty do I question make,

That thou among the wastes of time must go,

Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake

And die as fast as they see others grow;

  And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence

  Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

## Summary

Shakespeare presents a series of images suggesting the passing of time and the ageing and decaying of living things. Observing how everything decays and dies, Shakespeare begins to question the Fair Youth’s beauty, which he has been praising till now: even the Youth, young as he is now, will grow old and die.

In addition, the only thing that can ‘defend’ us from this inevitable process is breeding, so that as we grow old we can be content that we left behind something that will outlast us.

## Structure

The poem is composed of three quatrains, which are sets of four lines, and one couplet, which is a set of two rhyming lines. The poem has a consistent rhyme scheme, which conforms to the pattern ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Additionally, the poem is written in iambic pentameter, which means that each line has ten syllables with five pairs of stressed and unstressed syllables.

The last two lines of the poem are a rhyming pair, known as a couplet, and often bring a shift or change in the poem's direction. In the case of Sonnet 12, the couplet questions the Youth's beauty.

## Figures Of Speech

* Metaphor: "the brave day sunk in hideous night" - compares the passing of a day to the sinking of a ship.
* Personification: "sable curls...all silvered o'er with - white" describes the graying of hair as if it were a living thing.
* Metaphor: "summer's green all girded up in sheaves" - compares the harvested crops to a person wearing a belt or girdle.
* Metaphor: "Borne on the bier with white and bristly - beard" compares the harvested crops to a corpse on a funeral bier.

## Figurative Language Used

* Personification: The clock is given human-like qualities as it "tells the time" and summer's green is personified as being "girded up in sheaves."
* Metaphor: The passage of time is metaphorically described as "Time's scythe" that cuts down everything in its path.
* Imagery: The poem is rich in sensory imagery, particularly visual imagery. The speaker describes the "brave day sunk in hideous night," the "violet past prime," and the "sable curls all silvered o'er with white."
* Allusion: The poem alludes to the idea of brevity and the fleeting nature of life, as seen in the line "since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake and die as fast as they see others grow."

## Tone

The tone of this sonnet is contemplative and melancholic. The speaker is reflecting on the passage of time and the inevitable decay and loss of beauty and youth. However, there is also a sense of acceptance and resignation in the face of this universal truth.

## Theme

The theme of this sonnet is the transience of beauty and the fleeting nature of time. The speaker laments the fact that all beautiful things, including human beings, will eventually wither and die. However, the final couplet suggests that the only defense against the ravages of time is to have children, who will carry on one's legacy and continue the cycle of life.