Oct
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.
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