“COOL: SAN FRANCISCO & SHAKESPEARE”

Of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, the first 17 are oft referred to as the “procreation sonnets.” The reason being is that in them, the speaker addresses a youth who, in the speaker’s mind, should be preserved. While Time eventually steals away beauty and spirit, a “copy” of the young man could help carry on his legacy.

A copy could be achieved through procreation, hence the grouping’s title: the procreation sonnets. The following, Sonnet 12, begins with the speaker ruminating over various things that change with time, such as daylight, a tree’s leaves, and the passing of summer. The speaker then turns his attention to the youth, who too will face the demands of Time. He ends his address with a bitter truth:

“And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence”

Yet, possible solution:

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

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.

Line-by-line analysis:

When I do count the clock that tells the time,
The idea of Time is introduced. It’s counted, it’s continuous.

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
Here, Shakespeare begins to associate the effects of Time with the negative. The day is “brave.” The night, “hideous.”

When I behold the violet past prime,
A beautiful violet is taken in, but as noted, it is past its prime. No longer in full bloom.

And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;
Its color has faded and what’s more, visually, it’s become limp. Its petals depressed.

When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
The speaker now looks at the trees, once full of leaves. Of life. Now barren, due to the changing seasons.

Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
Here, the imagery of protection is introduced. The tree’s canopy of leaves protected the herd from the heat. With leaves now gone however, the tree can no longer offer such shelter.

And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves
The greenery, the life, of summer (i.e. barley, wheat, crops) is now tied up elsewhere. Bundled up and at the end of their run.

Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Here, “summer’s green” is carried away on a bier (a wagon) to destinations unknown. Note: the “bier” also carried away coffins during funerals; thus, the speaker is again speaking of Time. And the “end” of one’s journey.

Then of thy beauty do I question make,
At this point, the speaker is ready to directly address the youth. Taking in all the examples above and projecting them onto “him.”

That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Contemplating the unstoppable impact of Time on the youth. Does the same fate, as the violet, the leaves, the crops, await the youth?

Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
Here, the speaker observes that the sweet and beautiful forsake themselves, given that…

And die as fast as they see others grow;
There is always another to replace them. As one passes on, another steps into his/her place. The speaker knows this will be the case with the young man, too.

And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence
And thus, to emphasize once more, there appears to be nothing that can combat the effects of Time. Nothing that is, except…

Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
To create the next generation yourself. The youth is thus presented with a solution: to live on through his “copy.” The copy that will “brave him” or represent him, once the bier comes.

^{* Public domain image courtesy of Karen’s Whimsy.}