Asked by Idk
In me thou seest 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.
—"Sonnet 73,"
William Shakespeare
Read the second quatrain of “Sonnet 73,” and then answer the questions.
What is the best paraphrase of these lines?
What is the central idea of these lines?
All Answers 1
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Paraphrase (modern wording)
You see in me the twilight of a day: after the sun has set in the west the light fades, and soon black night takes it away. That night is like death’s second self — it closes everything up in peaceful rest.
Central idea
The speaker compares his old age to twilight that soon will be swallowed by night, using night (and sleep) as a metaphor for death. The quatrain emphasizes the speaker’s nearness to death and the quiet, inevitable ending of life.
You see in me the twilight of a day: after the sun has set in the west the light fades, and soon black night takes it away. That night is like death’s second self — it closes everything up in peaceful rest.
Central idea
The speaker compares his old age to twilight that soon will be swallowed by night, using night (and sleep) as a metaphor for death. The quatrain emphasizes the speaker’s nearness to death and the quiet, inevitable ending of life.
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