Professor Nugent English 2000 6 November 2006 According to Adam s Poetic Designs, The English sonnet is divided into four major parts, three quatrains plus a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg (Adams, p.89). Milton s poem, How Soon Hath Time, does not appear to be divided into such a rhyme scheme. It is a mixed rhyme scheme, abba ccdc def gg. The poem is divided into two quatrains and two three lined stanzas to fill out the sonnet. The rhyme scheme progresses in a way that emphasizes specific words and images that are discussing age such as youth, truth, heav n (Milton). Other words emphasize other aspects of the poem like the nature of aging and how it is almost personified to approach a person with human like qualities. Age comes to a person slowly it approaches near and it appears (Milton). All of these qualities that age possesses can also be looked at with a metaphorical approach. One interpretation for the placement of the quatrains and couplets could be that Milton was demonstrating the way life builds up and begins strong and eventually wanes and dies. The poem begins with two strong quatrains that provide the reader with a sense of time passing with the force of a youth. Towards the end, Milton s poem begins to die and is three lines in each stanza with references to heaven and to a divine force controlling his life and taking him to a new existence(Milton). The turn in the logic of the narrative is how Milton describes age taking a toll on him and the transient nature of growing old. Then his narrative turns around to discuss his spiritual and everlasting self and to where time will lead him (Milton). Different interpretations can and will lead to different results. Simply observing the form of the poem, one is inclined to believe that the poem itself is almost dying. 1 The rhyming words of the poem also add to the progression of the poem and to the aging process. The rhyming words discuss youth and truth in the beginning. This could relate to the youth s perpetual search for truth, identity, and meaning. His youth is being taken away from him and his manhood approaches with no real warning. His life is getting shorter and is growing near. His manhood appears and he is not quite prepared. Later in the poem, time is moving in the progression of which time is designed by a higher creator and the narrator is moving towards this progression. An example of a caesura can be found in the opening line of the poem, How soon hath Time,(pause) the subtle thief of youth (Milton). Time is emphasized and calls for a pause in this line because it is what the speaker is distinguishing between youth and how time steals youth away from the narrator. Another example of end-stop would be when the speaker says, It shall be still in strictest measure even (Milton). As the narrator continues to discuss the nature of time, the line needs to stand-alone and remain even like time. Therefore, the line is end-stopped. The enjambment is not a major theme in this sonnet in order to produce emphasis. The Petrarchan tradition is an Italian movement. Having arisen in Italian poetry, it was taken up by Dante and later Petrarch, and then passed along to poets of the French Renaissance (Adams, p.88). This poem resists the movement because an English poet, Milton, created it. Yet, the rhyme scheme is somewhat consistent with the Petrarchan School. The rhyme scheme presented earlier in the paper is very similar to the Italian sonnet rhyme scheme. One can deduce that Milton was perhaps trying to write in the Petrarchan tradition. The Sonnet s derivation comes from the Italian word meaning little song (wikipedia). Perhaps Milton wanted to write a sonnet reflecting his ideas in a song like quality. The poem refers to life and it would be a good idea to discuss the nature of life in a song. 2 According to Incompetech s research of Milton, <a href="/keyword/john-milton/" >john milton</a> grew up and wrote in the 17th Century in England. John resided in England and mostly lived in London with his family. It was in London that Milton ended up crafting most of his works. The English Civil War (Royalists versus Parliamentarians) began in 1643. John dove headfirst into politics, and wrote pamphlets defending the execution of Charles I by the victorious Parliamentarians (incompetech). Milton s involvement in politics and the English Civil War would influence his writing and the way he viewed various aspects in life according to his political views. When writing, How Soon Hath Time, Milton could have been discussing the transient nature of life and the progression an individual takes throughout their lifetime until they reach their divine existence. He's often referred to as the second greatest English poet, which always seemed to me to be a classic example of damning with faint praise (incompetech). Some would argue that Milton is a greater poet than his contemporary, Shakespeare. One interpretation of the poem is how Milton discusses the fleeting, transient nature of life and the trials and tribulations one encounters when going down life s path. Milton introduces the poem with Time thieving life away from the narrator. The narrator s youth is taken away from him and it is quickly vanishing. This is the transient nature of the poem. Then, the narrator makes the transition into adulthood and becomes a man. With this transition, the narrator gains a fresh perspective of life and his purpose in life. The narrator is slowly aging and beginning to recognize the next and final step of his life and where it is going. The narrator recognizes that there is a divine force or great Task-Master s eye that is watching over him. This can possibly provide comfort and solace for the narrator as he approaches the end and his na ve youth is passing. As noted earlier, as a youth people struggle with their existence and why life is passing so quickly. Another struggle of youth is trying to establish an identity and understand why they 3 inhabit a planet if there is no purpose. Deeper into the sonnet, Milton recognizes his divine force and perhaps purpose of existence which concludes the poem. This conclusion leaves the reader with a higher understanding of the poet s message and the meaning of life. Through further analysis and interpretation of a poem, one can understand the deeply embedded message that a poet is trying to convey. Analysis and interpretation take much tactful execution and careful study to try not to misinterpret and to properly come to a conclusion and understanding about a poem. It is important to look at the structure, syntax, rhyme scheme, and poetic devices. After looking closely into these tools, one can look at the author and try to understand where they were coming from at the time too. All of these tools are added to the academic s tool belt for a further understanding of the subjective nature of the study of English. 4 Sources Cited: Adams, Stephen. Poetic Designs. Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press, 1997 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnet http://incompetech.com/authors/milton/ Milton, John How Soon Hath Time 5