William Shakespeare – Sonnet 65 | Since Brass, Nor Stone, Nor Earth, Nor Boundless Sea | Summary, Analysis & Themes

William Shakespeare – Sonnet 65

“Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea”

Sonnet 65 continues Shakespeare’s meditation on the power of Time to destroy everything — even the strongest things in nature — yet ends with faith in poetry’s power to grant immortality. Written around 1595 and published in 1609, it is closely related to Sonnet 64 and Sonnet 18, forming part of the poet’s reflection on *beauty, decay, and art’s permanence*.

About the Poem

• Title: Sonnet 65 – “Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea”
• Poet: William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
• Form: English (Shakespearean) Sonnet — 14 lines, iambic pentameter
• Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
• Theme: Time’s destructive force and the poet’s belief in verse as a defense against decay

Text of the Sonnet

Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea,
But sad mortality o’ersways their power,
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
Whose action is no stronger than a flower?

O how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
Against the wreckful siege of battering days,
When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays?

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?

O, none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.

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Line-by-Line Explanation

Lines 1–2:

“Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, / But sad mortality o’ersways their power”
Even the strongest and most enduring materials — *brass, stone, the earth, and the vast sea* — cannot resist *mortality*. If such powerful things yield to time, how can human beauty hope to survive?

Lines 3–4:

“How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, / Whose action is no stronger than a flower?”
The poet questions how fragile beauty can compete against *Time’s rage* when it is as delicate as a flower. This image emphasizes vulnerability and the futility of resisting decay.

Lines 5–8:

“O how shall summer’s honey breath hold out / Against the wreckful siege of battering days…”
The poet compares the passage of time to a *military siege*. Even “rocks impregnable” and “gates of steel” succumb to Time — so how can soft summer air or beauty survive? This marks the *central tension* of the poem: nature vs. time.

Lines 9–12:

“O fearful meditation! where, alack, / Shall Time’s best jewel from Time’s chest lie hid?”
The poet despairs, asking where beauty can hide from Time’s theft. He personifies Time as a *thief or conqueror*, whose “chest” stores what he steals — the world’s finest things.

“Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? / Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?”
No one can restrain Time’s relentless pace or prevent it from destroying beauty. The poet realizes that physical resistance is impossible.

Lines 13–14 (Couplet):

“O none, unless this miracle have might, / That in black ink my love may still shine bright.”
In the end, the poet finds hope: *poetry itself is the miracle.* Through “black ink” (his writing), the beloved’s beauty will “shine bright” forever. Art becomes the *weapon against Time* — immortalizing what nature destroys.

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Key Themes

• Time and Mortality: Time destroys everything — beauty, strength, and even nature’s power.
• Fragility of Beauty: Human beauty, “no stronger than a flower,” cannot resist time’s assault.
• Power of Art: Only poetry can preserve what time erases.
• Conflict and Resolution: The sonnet moves from despair to faith — ending in creative triumph.
• Immortality Through Verse: Art defies decay and gives eternal life to the beloved’s beauty.

Poetic Devices

• Alliteration: “battering days,” “boundless sea,” “sad mortality.”
• Metaphor: Time as a conqueror and thief.
• Personification: Time’s “foot,” “chest,” and “rage.”
• Imagery: Military imagery — “siege,” “rocks impregnable,” “gates of steel.”
• Contrast: Between strength (brass, stone) and fragility (flower, beauty).

Structure and Tone

• The poem follows the classic three quatrains + couplet structure.
• The first twelve lines express *anxiety and helplessness* before time’s destruction.
• The final couplet shifts to *hope and affirmation* through poetry’s endurance.
• Tone: Reflective → Despairing → Triumphant.

Critical Interpretation

• This sonnet links human art to divine creation — poetry as *a miracle that resists decay*.
• It expresses the Renaissance faith in the *immortality of literature*.
• Its ending mirrors Sonnet 18: “So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

Quick Revision Table

Aspect	Details
Poem	Sonnet 65 – “Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea”
Poet	William Shakespeare
Form	English (Shakespearean) Sonnet
Rhyme Scheme	ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Major Themes	Time, Mortality, Art, Beauty, Immortality
Famous Lines	“O fearful meditation!” / “That in black ink my love may still shine bright.”
Tone	Philosophical → Despairing → Hopeful
Message	Though time destroys all, poetry preserves beauty forever.

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