The
poem's thematic structure:
Most of Hooft's sonnets fall into two parts. This is the
case here too. Part 1 (lines 1-8) offers a very visual description
of time, represented as a swift-footed old man using wings and
sails to move about, and as a destructive monster that devours
literally everything.
In part two (lines 9-14) the tone shifts from description to a
direct address to the lady now we have an I speaking to a you
about personal emotions.
The concluding lines contain a pseudo-philosophical (and pseudo-philological)
point in the form of a witticism about subjective longing and
making time seem longer.To read more about the poem's two main
themes, click on >love
and >time.
The
poem's formal structure:
The poem is written in alexandrines, i.e. lines of 12 syllables
each (or 13 if the final syllable is unstressed). The metre is
iambic: one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.
Listen to the recording and you will hear the alternation of stressed
and unstressed syllables. There are however several irregularities.
They are undoubtedly deliberate, to create effect.
Can you spot two instances of metrical irregularity, i.e. places
where two stressed syllables occur next to each other? Check you
answer >here.
The rhyme scheme is abba abba ccd eed, which is quite common in
Hooft's sonnets. This rhyme scheme groups the first 8 lines together
(abba abba) and also the last 6 lines (either as ccd eed, or as
cc deed). As it happens, the first 8 lines also form a thematic
unit.
To explore the way the poem creates all kinds of parallels and
oppositions, >click here.
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