© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.NOTESSonnet 60
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^1 of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith^2 being crowned,
Crooked eclipses ’gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix^3 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.- main open sea.
- wherewith with which.
- transfix impale, as with a sword or lance.
Mark context clues or indicate
another strategy you used that
helped you determine meaning.
toil (toyl) n.
5 MEANING:10Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold,
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day,
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere^1 long.- ere (ehr) before.
510Sonnet 12 • Sonnet 60 • Sonnet 73 375LIT17_SE12_U03_B1_SG.indd 375 3/14/16 1:19 AMConcept Vocabulary
TOIL If groups are struggling to define the word
toil (line 4), point out context clues that can
help them determine the word’s meaning. Have
them annotate the words and phrases waves
make toward the pebbled shore, minutes hasten
to their end, and sequent. Point out that these
context clues indicate a continuous, ongoing
effort.
Possible response: In this context, toil must mean
“long, strenuous labor or effort.” It is being used as
a noun, not a verb.Digital perspeCtiVes
Illuminating the Text Direct students’ attention
to Shakespeare’s use of the word scythe, in
Sonnet 60 (line 12) and earlier in Sonnet 12
(line 13). Ask students to explain what the scythe
is symbolic of. Who carries a scythe? How did
that symbolism come about? Challenge studentsto go online find images in which Death or
Father Time wields a scythe. Have them note
artists’ use of this image over the course of
centuries. Have students share their images with
their groups and identify which image they think
more appropriate for Sonnet 60.Small-Group Learning 375
LIT17_TE12_U03_B1_SG.indd 375 16-04-11 7:12 AM