1 That time of year thou mayst in me behold,
You can see in me this time of life, this season, Look at me and you'll see autumn coming, you see autumn in me 'Time of year' = autumn, the season of decline.
2 When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang
When trees have yellow leaves, or are almost bare, with few remaining, When the leaves turn yellow or fall off, leaving barely any, leaves turning yellow, falling
3 Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
On branches that tremble in the cold wind, On branches shaking in the cold, branches shaking in cold
4 Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. Bare ruined choirs—one of Shakespeare's most quoted images.
These empty branches, stripped like abandoned church choirs, where birds recently sang sweetly. Empty branches that look like ruined churches where birds just stopped singing. ruined choirs
empty where birds sang 'Choirs' compares branches to the choir lofts in cathedrals; 'ruined' means stripped bare.
5 In me thou seest the twilight of such day,
In me you see the end of the day, the twilight, Look at me and you see dusk falling, i'm like dusk 'Twilight' = the period between sunset and darkness; metaphor for aging.
6 As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Like the light fading in the west after the sun goes down, Like how the light disappears in the west after sunset, fading after sunset
7 Which by and by black night doth take away,
Which soon becomes completely dark as night takes over, Which soon turns completely black as night comes, night taking over soon 'By and by' = gradually, soon.
8 Death’s second self that seals up all in rest.
Night, which is like death's twin, shutting everything into sleep and silence. Night, basically death's copy, putting everything to sleep. death's twin
shutting everything down Death's second self: night is a temporary death, a parallel to permanent death.
9 In me thou seest the glowing of such fire,
In me you see the dying glow of a fire, Look at me and you see a fire almost burned out, i'm like dying fire
10 That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
That lies on the ashes of what my youth was, Glowing from the ashes of my youth, fire from ashes of my youth 'His' refers to the fire; 'ashes of his youth' = what remains of vigor.
11 As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,
Like a deathbed where the fire must finally die, Like a deathbed where the fire will finally go out, like fire dying on a deathbed 'Expire' = breathe out, die.
12 Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
Burned up by the very fuel that once fed it. Burned up by the same thing that used to keep it alive. burned by what fed it The fire burns its fuel, ultimately consuming what sustains it—metaphor for aging and mortality.
Volta After three quatrains of decline, the couplet reveals that perceiving this decay paradoxically strengthens love, turning knowledge of mortality into a reason for deeper devotion.
13 This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
You see all this, and it makes your love stronger, When you really understand this, it makes you love me more, you see this
makes you love me more
14 To love that well, which thou must leave ere long. To love that well, which thou must leave ere long—captures the paradox of loving in time.
To love deeply what you'll soon have to leave behind. To love me well, knowing you'll have to let me go soon. love me knowing
i'll be gone 'Ere long' = before long, soon.