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When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang.”
Here, the poet compares his life to a tree in autumn. Autumn is the time when leaves turn yellow and fall. Trees become bare. In the same way, the poet’s youth has fallen away. His energy and health are no longer strong. Only a little life remains, like a few leaves on the tree.
He also describes the branches as “bare ruin’d choirs.” It reminds us of empty church buildings where birds once sang. This metaphor shows silence, emptiness, and the loss of joy. It tells the reader that human life, like nature, slowly moves from fullness to emptiness. So, autumn here is a metaphor of the poet’s old age.
Twilight – Nearness of Death: The second metaphor is twilight. The poet says his beloved can see twilight in him.
“In me thou see’st the twilight…”
Twilight is the time just after sunset. A little light is still in the sky. This is the stage between life and death. Twilight symbolizes the last years of life. It is not completely dark yet, but the darkness is coming soon.
The poet calls the coming night “death’s second self.” It means death is like the night. Both bring darkness and send everyone to rest. By using the metaphor of twilight, Shakespeare shows that he is at the border of life and death. His day (youth) is spent, and night (death) will soon come.
Dying Fire – The Final Stage of Life: The third metaphor is the dying fire. The fire is burning weakly on its own ashes. It will go out at any time. The poet compares himself to this dying fire. He says,
“In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie.”
The fire represents the poet’s life. When young, the fire was bright and strong. Now, in old age, only a few sparks remain. The fire burns on the ashes of its own youth. The ashes show the past youth that is already spent. The metaphor of the dying fire shows the last stage of human life, just before death.
The Three Stages: Together, the three metaphors, autumn, twilight, and a dying fire, describe the whole journey of human life.
- Autumn shows that youth is gone; the poet is now old.
- Twilight shows that death is very near.
- Dying fire shows that the poet is in the last stage, just before death.
The metaphors also create a soft emotional tone. They do not show fear. Instead, they show acceptance and understanding. Finally, the poet delivers the final message: the awareness of death does not break true love; love becomes stronger.
To sum up, autumn, twilight, and a dying fire perfectly explain the last stages of human life. These simple but deep metaphors from nature make the poem easy to understand. Through them, Shakespeare teaches us that aging is natural. Love becomes even stronger when we understand the truth of time.
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