Critical Appreciation of the Sonnet No.65
The Sonnet like other sonnets in the series celebrates the beauty of the poet's friend. In the sonnets 63, 64 and 65, the poet is seized with the fear of the 'sad mortality' of the beauty of his friend. Such strong and seemingly indestructible things as brass, stone, earth, sea, rocks and iron gates are subject to decay. So how can beauty which is fragile as a flower withstand the ravages of time. Beauty has no justification to hold a plea of permanence. Beauty is Time's jewel and Time will take it into the coffin and cast it in oblivion and death. The poet is, however, reassured by the thought that the poet's verse can perform the miracle of immortalizing the beauty of the friend.
The sonnet is remarkable for its structural excellence and the beauty some suggestive images. The poet gives a list of some strong, impregnable, seemingly unbreakable things like brass, stone, rocks, gates of steel; - again he refers to the earth and sea as seemingly indestructible or permanent. But these things are wiped out in course of time. No one can withstand the determined assault of time. Battering days suggest the attack of time on the citadel (gates of steel), on the rocks. The work 'siege' has the sense of besieging everything (this has reference to the 'rocks' and 'gates of steel') by the crushing blows of time. Thus Time is presented as a powerful invader and destroyer. The brass, stone, rocks, gates of iron are placed in opposition to the frail beauty and sweet breath of the poet's friend.
The poet is filled with dread at the thought what will happen to the fragile beauty of the friend when such stout, firm and seemingly indestructible things cannot withstand the ravages of time. Some expressions are significant rages meaning the ravages of time, siege in the sense of attack on the citadel (gates of steel). The poet uses legal terms - plea, action etc. The beauty of the friend cannot plead or take legal suit for the preservation of his beauty. The word 'action' anticipates 'siege', battle etc. Flower is the conventional image of shortness and frailty Summer's honey breath means the sweet (honey) warm winds of summer time or the sweet perfume of the summer flower. The youth of the poet's friend is compared to the sweet perfume or warm winds of summer. These are short-lived and fragile. Time's chest is the coffin of time. Time throws everything to coffin suggesting oblivion and death. Time's precious jewel is the beauty with special reference to the poet's friend. This is hidden in safe custody in order to protect it from Time's ravages. But Time takes it and casts it into its box i.e., coffin. The poet seeks for a 'hand' (meaning handwriting, poetry) 'black ink' that will perpetuate the beauty of the beloved. 'Spoil of beauty' has the excellent idea of time as a plunder who steals the beauty. 'Black Ink' is juxtaposed with the word 'shine' (be bright and pure) Cf. Sonnet 13- "His beauty shall in these black lines be seen". The poet gives a number of significant images to suggest how beauty may be attacked, broken, spoiled, sullied. The poet's beauty can be preserved by 'black ink'. Black ink (poetry) is placed in opposition to determined assault and plundering of time. Black ink will defeat the forces of destruction.
There is a change of thought in the 9th line:
'O fearful meditation! where alack,
This is a sad meditation on the part of the poet.
The poet is thinking of the strong stout things that are subject to decay and hopeless to think that the beauty of the friend has no ground for pleading its case. But then he switches on to the thought of things that can withstand the ravages of time - particularly, the word 'hand' occurs to him anticipating that poetry can stay the assault or plundering of time. The couplet is strong as it provides a fitting conclusion that 'black ink' would make the beauty bright for ever.
The poem has a symmetry of pattern and bold images to make distinct the poet's idea of decay, death and the conquest of death by the 'miracle' of poetry.
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