Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Sonnet 73 from Class 10 English_FL. Let us begin with the pre-reading activity. Consider this question carefully: When do you realize the value of a person or an object? Is it when you possess them, or when you lose them? Why is it so? Please discuss this in pairs. The underlying pedagogical idea is that we often recognize true worth only when we face the prospect of loss. This reflection sets the emotional tone for the poem we are about to study. Now, I will read the complete poem by William Shakespeare. Listen carefully to the rhythm and imagery.
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 deathbed 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. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us analyze the poem stanza by stanza. In the first quatrain, the poet uses the metaphor of late autumn or early winter to describe his aging body. He tells his friend that he can see yellow leaves, or very few leaves, hanging on branches that shake in the cold wind. He compares these bare branches to ruined church choirs. A choir is a place where singers once performed, but now it stands empty and exposed to the elements, just as the trees have lost the sweet birds that once sang in them. This image powerfully conveys the decay of youth and the approach of old age. Moving to the second quatrain, the poet shifts his metaphor from the seasons to the time of day. He says his friend can see the twilight in him. Twilight is the fading light after sunset in the west. Soon, black night will completely take this light away. [CHECKPOINT]
The poet refers to black night as the second self of death, because just as night covers the world in sleep and stillness, death brings eternal rest. This metaphor emphasizes how close he is to the end of his life. In the third quatrain, the imagery changes to a dying fire. The poet says his friend can see the glowing embers of a fire that lies on the ashes of its youth. These ashes act as a deathbed where the fire must finally expire. Interestingly, the fire is consumed by the very ashes that once nourished it. This paradox illustrates how the remnants of past vitality now smother the last sparks of life, representing the physical decline of old age. Finally, we reach the concluding couplet. The poet addresses his friend directly, stating that perceiving these signs of decay makes the friend's love stronger. [CHECKPOINT]
The awareness of impending separation compels the friend to love deeply and fully the person he must soon leave behind. The phrase ere long means very soon. The poet concludes that the certainty of loss intensifies present affection. Now, let us review the key vocabulary from your textbook glossary. The phrase that time of year refers to late autumn or early winter. A bough is a large branch of a tree. Yellow leaves symbolize fading life and decay. The phrase bare ruined choirs carries a double meaning: it refers both to the leafless branches where birds once sang, and to the physical ruins of a church choir stripped of its roof. Death's second self means black night, which acts as a twin to death by sealing everyone in sleep. The phrase consumed by describes the fire wasting away on the dead ashes that once sustained it. [CHECKPOINT]
Finally, death bed refers to the ashes serving as the resting place where the fire expires. Let us now work through the comprehension questions in Section A. Question one asks which season the poet discusses in the first stanza. The correct answer is autumn. The supporting words are yellow leaves, or none, or few, and shake against the cold. Question two asks where the poet imagines himself in the four stages of life. He places himself in old age, nearing death. Question three asks what is compared to bare ruined choirs and what the comparison means. The bare branches are compared to ruined choirs, symbolizing the loss of youth, joy, and vitality. Question four asks what image the poet uses in the second stanza. He uses the image of twilight fading after sunset. [CHECKPOINT]
Question five asks which time of day corresponds to his stage. He imagines himself in the evening or twilight. Question six asks what is called Death's second self. Black night is given this title. Question seven asks to identify the metaphors showing death's approach. They are the autumn season, the fading twilight, and the dying fire. Question eight asks what image follows twilight. It is the glowing fire on ashes. Question nine asks which stage of fire the poet identifies with. He identifies with the ember or glowing ash stage. Question ten asks what lies on the ashes of youth and what death bed means. The glowing embers lie on the ashes, and death bed means the ashes are the place where the fire finally dies. Question eleven asks what This in the couplet refers to. It refers back to the three quatrains describing his aging. [CHECKPOINT]
Question twelve asks when love becomes stronger. It becomes stronger when one realizes the beloved is nearing death. Question thirteen requires filling blanks. The poet identifies with the autumn season, the twilight time of day, and the dying ember stage of fire. Let us proceed to the Close Study section. For the first passage, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang, part a asks what the phrase refers to. It refers to both a crumbling church and trees empty of birds. Part b asks why the sound disappeared. The sound vanished because the birds have left and the leaves have fallen, leaving silence. Part c asks why the poet used late. Late means recently, highlighting how quickly youth has passed. [CHECKPOINT]
Part d asks why branches are leafless. They are bare due to the cold of late autumn, mirroring the poet's aging body. For the second passage, This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long, part a asks who thou is. Thou is the poet's young friend. Part b asks what makes love stronger. The perception of the poet approaching death strengthens the friend's love. Part c asks for the literal meaning of the last line. It means you should love deeply the person you will soon have to part with, because time is short. Now, let us develop paragraph answers for the writing section. First, how is the couplet a fitting conclusion? The three quatrains progressively depict physical decay through autumn, twilight, and dying fire. [CHECKPOINT]
The couplet shifts focus from physical decline to emotional response. It argues that recognizing inevitable loss should not cause despair, but rather intensify present love. This resolves the poem's theme by transforming mortality into a catalyst for deeper affection. Second, explain the double image in bare ruined choirs. The poet wants his friend to see both the literal image of bare winter trees and the metaphorical image of a ruined church choir. By merging these, he emphasizes the complete loss of past joy and vitality, urging his friend to acknowledge his fading life. Let us complete the pair work activities. Activity one asks you to list other vivid pictures from the poem and share them. You might visualize a cold, windswept landscape with skeletal trees against a grey sky, a dimming sunset casting long shadows, or a hearth where bright flames have reduced to faint red coals under grey ash. [CHECKPOINT]
All these images share themes of fading warmth and approaching stillness. Activity two asks you to identify the rhyme scheme. This Shakespearean sonnet follows the pattern A B A B, C D C D, E F E F, G G. The rhyming pairs are behold and cold, hang and sang, day and away, west and rest, fire and expire, lie and by, and strong and long. Let us now review the note on the poet. William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616 and is celebrated as the greatest English dramatist and poet. He is renowned for masterpieces such as Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and The Merchant of Venice. He composed 154 sonnets. The first 126 are dedicated to a young friend and patron known as Mr. W.H., whose identity remains largely unknown. [CHECKPOINT]
The final 28 are dedicated to the mysterious Dark Lady. Sonnet 73 remains one of his most celebrated works. Finally, your textbook includes a section for suggested reading. It simply lists the title On his Blindness by John Milton. You are encouraged to read this poem independently to further your appreciation of classic English literature. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]