How is the poem’s intended recipient different from the summer? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.

1 answer

The poem's intended recipient is different from the summer because while the summer is described as fleeting and temporary, the recipient is portrayed as eternal and unchanging.

Evidence from the text to support this can be found in the lines,
"Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,"
and
"But thy eternal summer shall not fade."
These lines emphasize the transient nature of the summer, with rough winds shaking the buds and the possibility of fading. In contrast, the recipient of the poem is described as having an "eternal summer" that will not fade. This highlights the timeless and unchanging nature of the intended recipient, distinguishing them from the passing seasons.