Question

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course
untrimm'd

–"Sonnet 18,"
William Shakespeare

Read the second quatrain of the sonnet, and then answer the questions below.



What is the best paraphrase of the first two lines?


What is the best paraphrase of the last two lines?

Answer 1

First two lines: Sometimes the sun (the “eye of heaven”) shines too hot, and often its golden face is dimmed (by clouds).

Last two lines: Every beautiful thing loses its beauty at some time, either by accident or by the unavoidable changes of nature.