That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or fow, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs where late the swoet birds sang. In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black nil west, Death's second selick night doth take away. In me thou seest the that seals up all in rest. That on the ashest the glowing of such fire As the deathbed of his youth doth lie, Consumed with whereon it must expire, This thou perchat which it was nourished by. To love that weiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, 3.. 1 Describe the structure of this poem fully. 3.2 Refer to the first quatraln. Mention the time of the yoar the speaker is referring to. 3.3 Explain the comparison in line 4. 3.4 Refer to lines 5 -6 ('In me though....in the west') Explain the imagery in these lines. 3.5 Refer to line 7 (Which by and ...dolh take away'). (a) Identify the literal device used in this line. (b) Explain how this literal device enhances the message of this poem

Below is an analysis of the poem and responses to each part of the assignment. ───────────────────────────── 3.1 Structure of the Poem • Form and Meter: Although the excerpt shows some irregularities in line count compared to a “standard” sonnet, the poem clearly works in the sonnet tradition. It is written in iambic pentameter and, like other sonnets dealing with themes of mortality and time, is arranged in formally demarcated stanzas. • Division into Stanzas: Traditionally, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73—which this poem alludes to—divides its 14 lines into three quatrains (four-line groups) and a final couplet. In this excerpt we see three distinct images (or comparisons) that mark shifts in the meditation on aging. (The version provided here runs to 12 lines; it appears to be a fragment or reworked version of the full poem, yet its self-contained images follow the pattern of introducing an image of decline in each quatrain.) • Rhyme and Progression: The poem uses metaphor and vivid imagery to progress from one stage of decay to another. Although the precise rhyme scheme can become blurred in altered texts, the spirit is that of a tightly ordered reflection—each image building on the last (from the time of year to twilight to the last flicker of flame)—culminating in the couplet (or final reflective lines) that underscore the theme of love in the face of inevitable decline. ───────────────────────────── 3.2 The First Quatrain – The Time of Year In the first quatrain, the speaker describes himself as reflecting “That time of year” when “yellow leaves, or none, or fow, do hang / Upon those boughs which shake against the cold.” This is a clear image of autumn. Autumn is signified by yellowing leaves that fall or are already absent and by the chill that stirs the branches. In using this season, the speaker evokes the late stage of life—one of decay and inevitable loss—and invites the reader to see his own aging process in that natural progression. ───────────────────────────── 3.3 Explanation of the Comparison in Line 4 Line 4 reads: “Bare ruined choirs where late the swoet birds sang.” • What is Being Compared: Here, the “bare ruined choirs” serve as a metaphor for structures that once held beauty and vibrant life—as in a grand cathedral whose choir stalls once resonated with song. • Significance of the Comparison: By comparing his own fading vitality to these desolate, ruined spaces, the speaker suggests that just as a once-grand edifice now lies empty and decaying, so too does his life display the marks of passing joy and lost strength. The “swoet birds” (a variant of “sweet birds”) allude to a time when life was full and harmonious—a living testimony to the energy that once filled him. Now, in their absence, only the memory of their song remains, much like the recollection of youth. ───────────────────────────── 3.4 Imagery in Lines 5–6 Lines 5 and 6 state: “In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west,” • Visual and Temporal Imagery: The “twilight” after sunset is a powerful image. It represents the final traces of light at the end of the day—that time when brightness gives way to darkness. • Symbolic Implication: This fading light is a metaphor for the speaker’s own life: just as day inevitably ends into night, so too does the vibrancy of youth yield to the darkening of old age. The west is traditionally associated with the end (the setting sun), emphasizing that the speaker is at the close of his days. • Emotional Resonance: The transient beauty of twilight connotes both melancholy and grace as it surrenders to night—mirroring the tension between holding on to life and accepting its natural conclusion. ───────────────────────────── 3.5 Analysis of Line 7 Line 7 reads: “Which by and by black nil west, Death's second selick night doth take away.” a) Literal Device Identified: • Personification is prominently at work here. Death is not abstract—it is given human (or at least active) characteristics as “Death's second selick night” that comes to claim what remains. (There is also the use of an extended metaphor where night, as a personified force, “takes away” the light of life.) b) How This Device Enhances the Message: • By personifying death as an active, almost sentient force that “takes away” the remnants of light (or vitality), the poem intensifies the feeling of inevitable loss. • This personification transforms the abstract notion of aging and decay into a concrete image—Death is no passive process but an approaching, almost predatory presence. This makes the reflection on mortality more immediate and emotionally compelling. • In linking the metaphor of night—the extinguishing of light—with a “selick” (or sickle-like) quality often associated with the Grim Reaper’s tool, the poem deepens its meditation on the natural cycle of life and death, underscoring that just as day must turn to night, so must youthful vitality yield to the finality of death. ───────────────────────────── Summary Overall, the poem is structured in a manner that uses successive images—a decaying season, a fading twilight, and an impending night—to reflect on the natural decline mirror-imaged in the speaker’s life. The careful use of metaphor and personification not only underscores the inevitability of death but also enriches the emotional and thematic resonance of love and loss, which is later emphasized in the concluding lines. This detailed breakdown should help bring out the layered structure and imagery of the poem while linking each literary element back to the central meditation on aging and the transience of life.