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Notesbrood (2): children.keen (3): sharp. phoenix (4): The Phoenix, the mythological eagle-like bird associated with Egyptian sun-worship, had a life span of more than 500 years. When its first life was over, the bird would burn itself upon a pile of wood that was set ablaze by the sun. It would then rise from the ashes, once again young. Here Shakespeare is saying that, despite the Phoenix's ability to resurrect itself, it cannot escape Time forever. 'In her blood' was a Renaissance term for 'full of life' or 'in one's prime of life.' fleet'st (5): fly by. sweets (6): (1) pleasures; (2) the 'brood' of line 2. On the seemingly imperfect rhyme with fleet'st, Alden quotes Abbott: "In verbs ending with -t, -test final in the second person singular often becomes -ts for euphony. (Cf. "thou torments," R.2. IV. i., 270; "revisits," Hamlet, I. iv, 53; etc) ... This termination in -s contains perhaps a trace of the influence of the northern infection in -s for the second person singular" (52). The theme of Sonnet 19, as with so many of the early sonnets, is the ravages of time. The poet expresses his intense fear of time primarily in the sonnets that involve his male lover, and his worries seem to disappear in the later sonnets that are dedicated to his 'dark lady.' Specifically, the poet is mortified by the thought of his lover showing physical signs of aging. There is no doubt that his relationship with his male lover is one built upon lust - more so than his relationship with his mistress, which is based on love and mutual understanding. Sonnets 18-25 are often discussed as a group, as they all focus on the poet's affection for his friend. For more on how the sonnets are grouped, please see the general introduction to Shakespeare's sonnets. For more on the theme of fading beauty, please see Sonnet 116. How to cite this article:______ Even More...  Shakespeare in Old English?
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