Sonnet 73 - That time of year thou mayst in me behold

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see'st the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west,

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the death-bed whereon it must expire,

Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.

This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

## Summary

The sonnet opens with a metaphor: "That time of year thou mayst in me behold." The speaker is comparing himself to the autumn season, when leaves fall from trees and nature begins to die. The metaphor continues as the speaker describes himself as a tree with "bare ruined choirs," where once there were singing birds. The imagery of the dying tree and the silence of the absent birds is a powerful symbol of the approach of death.

In the second quatrain, the speaker extends the metaphor by comparing himself to the twilight of a day that fades into black night, which represents death. He describes death as "Death's second self, that seals up all in rest." The phrase "second self" suggests that death is not just an ending, but a continuation of life in a different form.

In the third quatrain, the speaker uses another metaphor to describe himself as a fire that is slowly burning out. The fire represents the speaker's youthful energy and passion, which is now fading away. The phrase "consumed with that which it was nourished by" suggests that the very things that once sustained it are consuming the speaker’s life force.

The sonnet ends with a couplet that reinforces the theme of the poem: "This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, / To love that well which thou must leave ere long." The speaker suggests that the awareness of our own mortality can actually strengthen our love for the things and people we hold dear.

## 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 speaker compares himself to the autumn season, a dying tree, the twilight of a day, and a fire that is slowly burning out.
* Personification: Death is personified as "Death's second self."
* Alliteration: The repeated use of the "s" sound in "shake," "sweet," "sang," "sunset," and "seals" creates a sense of sadness and melancholy.
* Metaphor: The poem uses extended metaphors throughout, comparing the speaker's aging to the passing of the seasons and the dying of a fire. For example, in the first quatrain, the speaker compares himself to "those boughs which shake against the cold, / Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang." He also compares himself to "the twilight of such day / As after sunset fadeth in the west" in the second quatrain.
* Simile: The speaker also uses a simile in the second quatrain, comparing his own decline to the fading of the sun after sunset.
* Personification: In the third quatrain, the speaker personifies echoes, describing them as "slumbering" and "clanging."
* Alliteration: There are several examples of alliteration in the poem, such as "yellow leaves" and "dusty ways."
* Assonance: There is also assonance in lines such as "bare ruined choirs" and "by and by black night."
* Imagery: The poem uses vivid imagery to convey its themes, including images of autumn leaves, fading sunsets, and the coming of winter.

## Tone

The tone of this sonnet is melancholic and mournful, as the speaker reflects on his own aging and eventual death. The theme is the inevitability of mortality and the importance of cherishing the time we have while we are alive.

## Theme

Overall, the theme of the poem is the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The tone of the poem is melancholic and reflective, and the speaker uses a variety of figures of speech, including metaphor and simile, to convey his thoughts and feelings. The use of natural imagery, such as leaves, boughs, and the changing of the seasons, adds to the overall mood of the poem, which is one of sadness and resignation.