When fortie Winters shall beseige thy brow, Shakespeare: Summary & Analysis
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"When fortie Winters shall beseige thy brow" is another Shakespearean sonnet that explores the fleeting nature of beauty and the passage of time. The speaker contemplates the transformation of beauty over the years and emphasizes the value of procreation as a means to extend one's legacy. The poem contrasts the temporal nature of physical appearance with the lasting impact of progeny. "When fortie Winters shall beseige thy brow" Original Text When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field, Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now, Will be a tottered weed of small worth held: Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies, Where all the treasure of thy lusty days; To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes, Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise. How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use, If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,' Proving his beauty by success…