"Sonnet 65" was written by the English Renaissance poet and playwright William Shakespeare and first published in 1609. The poem's speaker mourns the fact that everything is subject to the passage of time and wonders how something as delicate as beauty can possibly survive when even the strongest things on earth eventually crumble and decay. Yet there is one thing, the speaker ultimately argues, that can withstand time's relentless siege: poetry itself—and, importantly, the love expressed within it. "Sonnet 65" belongs to Shakespeare's “Fair Youth” sonnets, a sequence of poems addressed to a handsome young man.
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The Full Text of “Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")”
1Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
2But sad mortality o’ersways their power,
3How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea
4Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
5O how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
6Against the wrackful siege of batt'ring days,
7When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
8Nor gates of steel so strong, but Time decays?
9O fearful meditation! where, alack,
10Shall Time’s best jewel from Time’s chest lie hid?
11Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
12Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
13 O none, unless this miracle have might,
14 That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
The Full Text of “Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")”
1Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
2But sad mortality o’ersways their power,
3How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea
4Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
5O how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
6Against the wrackful siege of batt'ring days,
7When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
8Nor gates of steel so strong, but Time decays?
9O fearful meditation! where, alack,
10Shall Time’s best jewel from Time’s chest lie hid?
11Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
12Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
13 O none, unless this miracle have might,
14 That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Summary
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Themes
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The Immortalizing Power of Poetry
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")”
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Lines 1-2
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
But sad mortality o’ersways their power, -
Lines 3-4
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea
Whose action is no stronger than a flower? -
Lines 5-6
O how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
Against the wrackful siege of batt'ring days, -
Lines 7-8
When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
Nor gates of steel so strong, but Time decays? -
Lines 9-12
O fearful meditation! where, alack,
Shall Time’s best jewel from Time’s chest lie hid?
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? -
Lines 13-14
O none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Symbols
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Darkness and Light
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Personification
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Polysyndeton
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Anaphora
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Metaphor
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Aporia
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Juxtaposition
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Alliteration
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Consonance
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Assonance
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- O'ersways
- Rage
- Wrackful
- Siege
- Batt'ring
- Impregnable
- Stout
- Meditation
- Alack
- Chest
- Swift
- Spoil
- Forbid
- Might
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Speaker
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“Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")”
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More “Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")” Resources
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External Resources
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Biography of William Shakespeare — Read more about Shakespeare’s life and work.
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The 1609 Quarto Version — View the original 1609 Quarto version of the poem, which includes a creepy illustration of death/time.
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Folger Shakespeare Library — Find a range of resources on Shakespeare’s life and work at the website of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
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The Poem Out Loud — Watch actress Annette Badland recite the poem.
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The Fair Youth Sonnets — Learn more about Shakespeare’s Fair Youth sonnets, including different possible identities proposed for the Fair Youth.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Shakespeare
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