Sonnet 65 by William Shakespeare | Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless | Sonnet 65 | Willian Shakespeare | Explanation | Summary | Key Points | Word Meaning | Critical Appreciation | Questions Answers | Free PDF Download – Easy Literary Lessons
Sonnet 65
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
But sad mortality o’er-sways their power,
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days,
When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays?
O fearful meditation! where, alack,
Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid?
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
O, none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
line-by-line explanation of the poem
Line 1: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
Explanation: The speaker begins by listing all the things that time can conquer: brass, stone, earth, and even the boundless sea. These are all symbols of strength and permanence, but they are all powerless against the relentless march of time.
Line 2: But sad mortality o’er-sways their power,
Explanation: The speaker continues to emphasize the power of time, calling it “sad mortality.” He says that time has the power to overcome even the most powerful things.
Line 3: How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
Explanation: The speaker now turns his attention to the fleeting nature of beauty. He asks how beauty can resist the “rage” of time.
Line 4: Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
Explanation: The speaker compares beauty to a flower, which is delicate and easily destroyed. He is suggesting that beauty is just as vulnerable to the ravages of time as a flower is.
Line 5: O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
Explanation: The speaker continues to lament the fleeting nature of beauty. He asks how the “honey breath” of summer, which is a symbol of beauty and vitality, can withstand the passage of time.
Line 6: Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days,
Explanation: The speaker uses a metaphor to describe the destructive power of time. He calls time a “wrackful siege” and says that it is like a battering ram that is constantly attacking everything in its path.
Line 7: When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
Explanation: The speaker continues to emphasize the power of time by listing all the things that it can destroy. He says that even “rocks impregnable” are not strong enough to withstand time’s assault.
Line 8: Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays?
Explanation: The speaker continues to list all the things that time can destroy. He says that even “gates of steel” are not strong enough to withstand time’s decay.
Line 9: O fearful meditation! where, alack,
Explanation: The speaker is now filled with despair at the realization that time is invincible. He calls his thoughts a “fearful meditation” and asks where time’s “best jewel” can be hidden from time’s “swift foot.”
Line 10: Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid?
Explanation: The speaker continues to despair at the thought that even the most beautiful things will be destroyed by time. He calls time’s “best jewel” the young man’s beauty, and he asks where it can be hidden from time’s relentless destruction.
Line 11: Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
Explanation: The speaker asks who can stop time from stealing beauty away. He personifies time as having a “swift foot,” and he asks who can hold it back.
Line 12: Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
Explanation: This line completes the speaker’s lament on the power of time to destroy beauty. He has already asked who can stop time from stealing beauty away, and now he asks who can prevent time from taking beauty away as its “spoil.” The use of the word “spoil” suggests that time is not just destroying beauty, but also taking it away from the speaker as if it were a trophy of war.
Line 13: O, none, unless this miracle have might,
Explanation: The speaker concludes the sonnet by offering a glimmer of hope. He suggests that the only way to preserve beauty is to immortalize it in poetry. He believes that his love for the young man can be preserved in “black ink,” and that his poem will shine brightly long after the young man’s beauty has faded.
Line 14: That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
Explanation: The speaker reiterates his belief that poetry can preserve beauty from time’s destruction. He says that his love for the young man will still “shine bright” in “black ink” long after the young man is gone.
Summary
In this sonnet, the speaker laments the power of time to destroy all things, even the most enduring. He begins by listing all the things that time can conquer: brass, stone, earth, and even the boundless sea. These are all symbols of strength and permanence, but they are all powerless against the relentless march of time.
The speaker then turns his attention to the fleeting nature of beauty. He asks how beauty can resist the “wrackful siege of battering days” when even the strongest rocks and gates cannot withstand the ravages of time. Beauty, he argues, is like a flower, delicate and easily destroyed.
The speaker is filled with despair at the realization that time is invincible. He asks where time’s “best jewel” can be hidden from time’s “swift foot.” He also asks who can stop time from stealing beauty away.
The speaker concludes the sonnet by offering a glimmer of hope. He suggests that the only way to preserve beauty is to immortalize it in poetry. He believes that his love for the young man can be preserved in “black ink,” and that his poem will shine brightly long after the young man’s beauty has faded.
Themes
The power of time
The fleeting nature of beauty
The immortality of poetry
Literary Devices
Metaphor: Time is compared to a thief and a conqueror.
Personification: Time is given human qualities, such as a “swift foot” and a “chest.”
Repetition: The word “time” is repeated throughout the sonnet to emphasize its importance.
Overall, Sonnet 65 is a powerful and moving meditation on the nature of time and beauty. The speaker’s despair at the realization that time is invincible is palpable, but he also offers a glimmer of hope in the belief that poetry can preserve beauty from time’s ravages.
Key Points
Author: William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most important English-language writers. His plays and poems are read all over the world.
Form: “Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea” (Sonnet 65) is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem that is contained within one stanza. The form that has become synonymous with the poet’s name. The English or Shakespearean sonnet is made up of three quatrains, or sets of four lines, and one concluding couplet, or set of two rhyming lines.
Speaker: The speaker of the poem is a narrator who is contemplating the power of time and its effects on beauty and life.
Setting: The setting isn’t specific to a particular place or time. It’s more about the universal human experience of witnessing the passage of time.
Theme: The main theme of the poem is the transience of beauty and the power of time. It explores how everything in the world, no matter how strong or beautiful, eventually succumbs to the effects of time.
Plot: The poem starts by describing how nothing in the world can withstand time’s power. The speaker then wonders how beauty can stand a chance against time, which is as delicate as a flower. The speaker contemplates the inevitable decay brought about by time, and wonders where beauty can hide from time. The poem concludes with the speaker finding solace in the written word, which can preserve the memory of beauty against time’s destructive power.
Tone: The tone of the poem is somber and reflective, with the speaker expressing a sense of awe and fear at the power of time.
Style: Shakespeare’s style in this sonnet, like his others, is characterized by his rich imagery and metaphorical language. He uses metaphors to compare time’s effects to a siege, and beauty to a precious jewel.
Message: The message of the poem is that while physical beauty fades with time, the beauty of love can be immortalized through words. This is encapsulated in the final lines: “That in black ink my love may still shine bright.”
Structure and Rhyme Scheme
The structure of the poem “Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea” is a Shakespearean sonnet. This form of sonnet is also known as the English sonnet. Here’s a breakdown of its structure and rhyme scheme:
Structure A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final rhymed couplet.
Rhyme Scheme The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This means that in each quatrain, the first- and third-lines rhyme with each other, and the second- and fourth-lines rhyme with each other. The final two lines, which form a couplet, also rhyme with each other.
In the case of this poem, the rhyme scheme would look like this:
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea (A)
But sad mortality o’er-sways their power, (B)
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, (A)
Whose action is no stronger than a flower? (B)
O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out ©
Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days, (D)
When rocks impregnable are not so stout, ©
Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays? (D)
O fearful meditation! where, alack, (E)
Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid? (F)
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? (E)
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? (F)
O, none, unless this miracle have might, (G)
That in black ink my love may still shine bright. (G)
This structure and rhyme scheme are characteristic of Shakespeare’s sonnets and are part of what gives them their musical quality.
Word Meaning
| Line | Tough Word | Meaning in English | Meaning in Hindi |
| 1 | Brass | An alloy of copper and zinc | पीतल |
| 1 | Stone | A solid, natural substance of mineral origin | पत्थर |
| 1 | Earth | The solid ground on which we live | धरती |
| 1 | Boundless | Having no limits or boundaries | अपार |
| 1 | Sea | A large body of salt water | समुद्र |
| 2 | Mortality | The state of being mortal | मृत्यु |
| 2 | O’er-sways | To have power or influence over | प्रभाव डालना |
| 3 | Rage | Anger | क्रोध |
| 3 | Plea | A request or appeal | विनती |
| 4 | Action | The process of doing something | क्रिया |
| 5 | Summer’s honey breath | The warm, sweet air of summer | गर्मी की मधुर साँस |
| 5 | Hold out | To endure or continue for a long time | टिक जाना |
| 6 | Wrackful siege | A violent or destructive attack | भयानक घेराबंदी |
| 6 | Batt’ring days | Days of constant attack or violence | लगातार हमले या हिंसा के दिन |
| 7 | Impregnable | Unable to be captured or defeated | अभेद्य |
| 7 | Stout | Strong, tough, and sturdy | मजबूत, कठोर और मजबूत |
| 8 | decays | decompose | क्षय |
| 9 | Fearful meditation | A terrifying thought or contemplation | भयानक ध्यान |
| 9 | Alack | An exclamation of regret or disappointment | अफ़सोस या निराशा का विस्मय |
| 10 | Best jewel | The most precious or valuable possession | सबसे अच्छा रत्न |
| 10 | Hid | Hide | छुपा दिया |
| 11 | Swift foot | A quick and agile foot | तेज पैर |
| 12 | Spoil | Something taken by force or violence | लूट |
| 12 | Forbid | To prevent or prohibit something | मना करना |
| 13 | Miracle | An event that is considered to be an act of God | चमत्कार |
| 13 | Might | Great power or strength | ताकत |
| 14 | Black ink | Poetry or Poem or Written Words | कविता या लिखित शब्द |
Very Short Answer Questions
Who is the author of the poem?
The author of the poem is William Shakespeare.
What is the form of the poem?
The poem is a sonnet.
Who is the speaker in the poem?
The speaker is a narrator contemplating the power of time.
What is the setting of the poem?
The setting is not specific to a place or time but more about the universal human experience.
What is the main theme of the poem?
The main theme is the transience of beauty and the power of time.
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone is somber and reflective.
What is the style of the poem?
The style is characterized by rich imagery and metaphorical language.
What is the message of the poem?
The message is that the beauty of love can be immortalized through words.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
What does the speaker compare to a siege in the poem?
The speaker compares time’s effects to a siege.
What does the speaker compare to a precious jewel in the poem?
The speaker compares beauty to a precious jewel.
What does the speaker find solace in at the end of the poem?
The speaker finds solace in the written word.
What does the speaker say about the power of time in the poem?
The speaker says that nothing in the world can withstand time’s power.
What does the speaker say about the transience of beauty in the poem?
The speaker says that physical beauty fades with time.
What does the speaker say about the power of words in the poem?
The speaker says that words can preserve the memory of beauty against time’s destructive power.
What does the speaker wonder about in the poem?
The speaker wonders how beauty can stand a chance against time.
What does the speaker contemplate in the poem?
The speaker contemplates the inevitable decay brought about by time.
What does the speaker conclude in the poem?
The speaker concludes that the beauty of love can be immortalized through words.
What does the speaker compare beauty to in the poem?
The speaker compares beauty to a flower.
What does the speaker compare time to in the poem?
The speaker compares time to a swift foot.
What does the speaker list as things that time can conquer?
Brass, stone, earth, and the boundless sea
What does the speaker call the destruction of beauty by time?
A “spoil”
What does the speaker believe can preserve beauty from time?
Poetry
What does the speaker call his love for the young man?
His “best jewel”
What is the metaphor used in line 6?
Time is compared to a “wrackful siege”
What is the personification used in line 11?
Time is given a “swift foot”
What is the effect of the repetition of the word “time” throughout the poem?
It emphasizes the importance of time
What is the meter of the sonnet?
Iambic pentameter
What is the structure of the sonnet?
It is divided into three quatrains and a couplet
What is the significance of the couplet?
It provides a resolution to the poem’s conflict
What is the speaker’s attitude towards time?
He is both fearful of it and fascinated by it
What is the speaker’s attitude towards beauty?
He appreciates its beauty, but he also recognizes its fleeting nature
What is the speaker’s purpose in writing the poem?
To express his feelings about time, beauty, and the power of poetry
What is the poem’s meaning?
That time is powerful and can destroy even the most beautiful things, but that poetry can preserve beauty from time’s destruction
Short Answer Questions
What is the central theme of Sonnet 65?
The central theme of the poem is the transience of beauty and the power of time. It explores how everything in the world, no matter how strong or beautiful, eventually succumbs to the effects of time.
How does Shakespeare characterize the endurance of natural elements in the poem?
Shakespeare characterizes the endurance of natural elements like brass, stone, earth, and the boundless sea as vulnerable to the prevailing influence of human mortality.
What metaphor does Shakespeare use to describe the fragility of beauty?
Shakespeare uses the metaphor of comparing the strength of beauty to that of a flower, emphasizing its delicate and vulnerable nature.
What does the poet express concern about in relation to summer in the poem?
The poet expresses concern about how the sweet fragrance of summer, represented by “summer’s honey breath,” can endure against the destructive forces of time.
How does Shakespeare view the impact of time on seemingly strong elements like rocks and gates of steel?
Shakespeare suggests that even rocks and gates of steel, which seem invincible, are not strong enough to resist the decay caused by the relentless passage of time.
What does the poet refer to as “time’s best jewel” in the poem?
The poet refers to beauty or love as “time’s best jewel,” highlighting its precious and fleeting nature in the face of time’s relentless march.
What is the poet’s reaction to the meditation on the decay caused by time?
The poet expresses a sense of fear and contemplation, referred to as “O fearful meditation,” in response to the inevitable decay caused by the passage of time.
How does Shakespeare introduce the concept of a potential solution or miracle in the poem?
Shakespeare introduces the concept of a potential solution or miracle in the concluding lines, suggesting that the poet’s love may continue to shine brightly in black ink, symbolizing the enduring power of written words.
What does the use of “black ink” symbolize in the final couplet of the poem?
The use of “black ink” symbolizes the enduring nature of the poet’s love, suggesting that through the act of writing, the beauty and love can be preserved and continue to shine brightly despite the ravages of time.
In what way does the poem convey a sense of melancholy or concern about the transience of beauty?
The poem conveys a sense of melancholy by expressing concern about how beauty, as delicate as a flower, is vulnerable to the destructive forces of time, and the poet grapples with the inevitable decay of what is considered precious and beautiful.
Essay Type Questions
1. Write the critical appreciation of the poem.
Introduction
“Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea” is a sonnet by William Shakespeare, known as Sonnet 65. It is a profound meditation on the ravages of time and the potential for love and art to transcend the temporal realm.
Structure, Form, and Rhyme Scheme
The poem is a Shakespearean sonnet, a form that consists of 14 lines structured into three quatrains and a concluding couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, which is characteristic of Shakespeare’s sonnets. This structure lends a rhythmic and musical quality to the poem, enhancing its emotional resonance.
Theme
The central theme of the sonnet is the transience of beauty and the relentless power of time. The speaker contemplates how all things, no matter how strong or beautiful, are subject to time’s destructive power. Yet, the sonnet ends on a hopeful note, suggesting that love and art (represented by the “black ink”) may offer a means of preserving beauty against the ravages of time.
Imagery
Shakespeare employs vivid imagery to convey his themes. He uses metaphors of “brass,” “stone,” “earth,” and the “boundless sea” to represent the seemingly enduring elements of the world, which are nonetheless subject to “sad mortality.” Beauty is depicted as a fragile flower, and time is portrayed as a powerful force that even “rocks impregnable” cannot withstand.
Poetic Devices
Shakespeare uses various poetic devices in this sonnet. Metaphor is used extensively, such as when beauty is compared to a flower or a precious jewel. Alliteration is present in phrases like “boundless sea” and “sad mortality,” adding a musical quality to the lines. The sonnet also features personification, with time being depicted as a destructive force with a “swift foot.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sonnet 65 is a poignant exploration of time, beauty, and the power of art. Through its masterful use of form, imagery, and poetic devices, it captures the universal human experience of grappling with the passage of time. It leaves the reader with the hopeful message that while physical beauty may fade, the beauty of love can be immortalized through the written word. This sonnet, like much of Shakespeare’s work, continues to resonate with readers centuries after it was written, attesting to the enduring power of its themes and its artistry.
