Sonnet 60: Like As The Waves Make Towards The Pebbled Shore
Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Nativity, once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crowned,
Crooked eclipses ‘gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.
Line 1: Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Like as: Just as.
- Pebbled shore: A shore covered with small stones.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker begins by comparing the passage of time to waves moving toward a pebbled shore. This suggests that time, like waves, is constant and relentless, always moving forward.
Context:
This sonnet is part of Shakespeare’s sequence addressed to the “Fair Youth.” The speaker explores the theme of time’s passage and its effects on life and beauty. The line sets up the central metaphor of the sonnet: time as an unstoppable force.
Line 2: So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Minutes: Moments or units of time.
- Hasten: Move quickly.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker continues the metaphor, stating that our moments (“minutes”) rush toward their end, just as waves move toward the shore. This suggests that time is fleeting and inevitable.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s relentless passage. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the transient nature of life.
Line 3: Each changing place with that which goes before,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Changing place: Replacing or succeeding.
- Goes before: Comes before or precedes.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how each moment replaces the one that came before, suggesting a continuous cycle of time. This reinforces the idea that time is constant and unending.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s relentless passage. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the cyclical nature of time.
Line 4: In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Sequent toil: Continuous effort or struggle.
- Contend: Strive or compete.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker states that each moment strives forward in a continuous effort (“sequent toil”), suggesting that time is a relentless force that never stops.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s relentless passage. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the unstoppable nature of time.
Line 5: Nativity, once in the main of light,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Nativity: Birth or beginning of life.
- Main of light: The full brightness of life.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes birth (“nativity”) as a moment of full brightness and potential (“main of light”). This suggests that life begins with promise and vitality.
Context:
This line introduces the theme of life’s stages and the effects of time. It reflects the speaker’s contemplation of the journey from birth to maturity.
Line 6: Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crowned,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Crawls: Moves slowly.
- Maturity: Full development or adulthood.
- Crowned: Honored or celebrated.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how life slowly progresses to maturity, where it is celebrated (“crowned”). This suggests that maturity is a time of achievement and recognition.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of life’s stages and the effects of time. It reflects the speaker’s contemplation of the journey from birth to maturity.
Line 7: Crooked eclipses ‘gainst his glory fight,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Crooked eclipses: Dark or harmful forces.
- ‘Gainst his glory fight: Oppose his achievements.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how dark forces (“crooked eclipses”) oppose the glory of maturity, suggesting that time brings challenges and obstacles.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s effects on life. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the challenges that come with the passage of time.
Line 8: And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Gave: Bestowed or granted.
- Confound: Destroy or undermine.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker states that Time, which once granted life and potential, now undermines its own gift. This suggests that time both gives and takes away.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s dual nature. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of time’s power to both create and destroy.
Line 9: Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Transfix: Pierce or destroy.
- Flourish: Beauty or vitality.
- Set on youth: Found in youth.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how Time destroys the beauty and vitality of youth (“the flourish set on youth”). This suggests that time erodes the physical and emotional vigor of youth.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s effects on beauty and vitality. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the inevitable decline brought by time.
Line 10: And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Delves: Digs or carves.
- Parallels: Lines or wrinkles.
- Beauty’s brow: The forehead, symbolizing beauty.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how Time carves lines or wrinkles (“parallels”) into the forehead, symbolizing the erosion of beauty. This suggests that time leaves visible marks of aging.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s effects on beauty. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the physical signs of aging.
Line 11: Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Feeds on: Consumes or destroys.
- Rarities: Precious or unique qualities.
- Nature’s truth: Natural beauty or essence.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how Time consumes the unique and precious qualities of natural beauty (“the rarities of nature’s truth”). This suggests that time erodes what is most valuable in life.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s destructive power. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the loss brought by time.
Line 12: And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Stands: Endures or remains.
- Scythe: A tool used for cutting, symbolizing Time’s destructive power.
- Mow: Cut down or destroy.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker states that nothing endures except to be cut down by Time’s scythe. This suggests that time eventually destroys all things.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of time’s destructive power. It reflects the speaker’s awareness of the inevitability of death and decay.
Line 13: And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Times in hope: Future times.
- Verse: Poetry.
- Stand: Endure or remain.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker declares that his poetry (“my verse”) will endure in future times (“times in hope”). This suggests that art can transcend the destructive power of time.
Context:
This line introduces the theme of the enduring power of poetry. It reflects the speaker’s belief that art can preserve beauty and memory.
Line 14: Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Praising: Celebrating or honoring.
- Thy worth: Your value or beauty.
- Despite: In spite of.
- Cruel hand: Time’s destructive power.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker concludes by stating that his poetry will continue to praise the beloved’s worth, even in the face of Time’s destructive power (“cruel hand”). This suggests that art can immortalize beauty and defy time.
Context:
This line encapsulates the central theme of the sonnet: the enduring power of poetry to preserve beauty and memory. It reflects the speaker’s belief that art can transcend the destructive power of time.
Summary of the Sonnet:
Sonnet 60 explores the theme of time’s passage and its effects on life and beauty. The speaker begins by comparing time to waves moving relentlessly toward the shore, suggesting that time is constant and unstoppable. He describes the journey from birth to maturity and the challenges that come with the passage of time, including the erosion of beauty and vitality. The speaker reflects on Time’s dual nature, as both a giver and a destroyer, and acknowledges the inevitability of death and decay. However, he concludes by asserting that his poetry will endure and continue to praise the beloved’s worth, defying Time’s destructive power. The sonnet captures the tension between the transient nature of life and the enduring power of art, reflecting the speaker’s belief in the ability of poetry to immortalize beauty and memory.
In-Depth Analysis of Sonnet 60
Summary
In Sonnet 60, Shakespeare reflects on the relentless passage of time and its inevitable effect on human life. He opens with a metaphor comparing time to waves moving toward the shore—just as waves continuously replace one another, so do minutes in life, constantly pushing forward toward their end.
The speaker then traces the journey of human existence: birth emerges into the “main of light” (life), matures, and eventually faces decline as time works against it. Time, which gives life, also destroys it—youth fades, beauty withers, and all natural wonders succumb to time’s power.
Despite this grim reality, the sonnet concludes on a note of defiance. The speaker declares that his poetry will outlive time’s destruction, preserving the beauty and worth of the Fair Youth even as everything else perishes.
Critical Analysis
1. The Inevitable Passage of Time
- The opening metaphor of waves suggests that time is unstoppable, moving forward in a constant and rhythmic flow.
- The phrase “each changing place with that which goes before” reflects the cyclical nature of existence—one moment gives way to the next, just as one generation replaces another.
2. The Life Cycle and the Struggle Against Time
- The sonnet traces life’s progression from birth to maturity and ultimately to decline:
- “Nativity, once in the main of light, / Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crowned.”
- Life begins in brightness but quickly moves toward struggle and decay.
- “Crooked eclipses” symbolize the inevitable adversities and misfortunes that overshadow human glory.
3. Time as a Destructive Force
- The poem personifies Time as an active agent of destruction:
- “Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth.”
- “Delves the parallels in beauty’s brow.”
- Time marks the face with wrinkles and strips away beauty, reinforcing its merciless nature.
- The scythe, a common symbol of death, highlights time’s role in cutting down all living things.
4. Poetry as a Defiant Act Against Time
- In the final couplet, the speaker declares that his verse will endure despite time’s cruelty:
- “And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand / Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.”
- This echoes the theme of poetry’s immortality found in earlier sonnets (e.g., Sonnet 55).
- While time destroys physical beauty, poetry preserves the memory of the beloved.
Theme Analysis
1. The Transience of Life
- The poem emphasizes the fleeting nature of existence, portraying time as an unstoppable force that carries life toward its end.
- The imagery of waves and minutes suggests an unending, mechanical process beyond human control.
2. The Inevitability of Aging and Death
- The speaker acknowledges that all things—youth, beauty, and natural wonders—are destined to decay.
- The personification of time as something that “transfixes” and “feeds on” beauty highlights its relentless power.
3. The Power of Poetry to Defy Time
- While time destroys all physical things, poetry can preserve memory and worth beyond death.
- The speaker finds solace in the idea that his verse will allow the Fair Youth to live on, even as time erases everything else.
Literary Devices
1. Extended Metaphor: Time as Waves
- “Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, / So do our minutes hasten to their end.”
- This comparison captures the inevitability and unstoppable nature of time’s passage.
2. Personification: Time as a Tyrant
- “Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth.”
- “Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth.”
- Time is depicted as an active force that wounds, consumes, and destroys.
3. Alliteration: Reinforcing the Poem’s Rhythm
- “Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth.”
- “Delves the parallels in beauty’s brow.”
- The repetition of consonant sounds enhances the musicality of the verse.
4. Symbolism: The Scythe of Time
- “And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow.”
- The scythe represents death, reinforcing time’s destructive power.
Conclusion
Sonnet 60 presents a powerful meditation on time’s unstoppable march and its effect on human life. Through vivid imagery and personification, Shakespeare portrays time as both a giver and destroyer, leading all things toward decay. However, the poem ultimately asserts the immortality of art, declaring that poetry can preserve beauty and worth even as time erases everything else. This sonnet stands as both a lament for lost youth and a declaration of poetry’s enduring power.
