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.
What is the main idea of this sonnet?
Explanation
Answer [B]: The main idea of this sonnet is that the speaker believes his lover cares for him more because he, the speaker, is growing old and will soon die. The speaker compares himself to the twilight, or end of day, to the autumn, when the leaves turn yellow, and to the last glow of a dying fire. He says at the end, in the couplet, that the lover sees all of these comparisons, and loves stronger because he, the speaker, will soon depart into death.
