"That time of year" ~by William Shakespeare

(#12)
This poem is a sonnet containing three quatrains followed by a couplet. The first quatrain describes fall. The second quatrain creates a description for twilight. The third quatrain describes a fire. These three things all share something similar; they are all ending, but they have not yet reached the end. This is symbolic of a man who is nearing death, but has not passed away yet. Another comparison made between the quatrains is that the objects they describe progressively get shorter. While fall lasts for a few months, twilight lasts for a few hours, and a fire lasts for only a few minutes to an hour. In addition, while fall and twilight both repeat, once a fire ends it cannot be brought back. This is symbolic of death; once someone has died they are gone forever and cannot return. Also, the line "That on the ashes of youth doth lie as a deathbed whereon it must expire, consumed with that which it was nourished by" contains a paradox. It means that the ashes that once nourished the fire now consume it. Although this may seem contradictory, it makes sense when thought about. This is symbolic that by living life, one is inevitably dying. This is the paradoxical truth of life.