That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.
-Who is the intended audience for this sonnet?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The intended audience of this poem is someone, the speaker's lover, who is in love with someone much older than him/her. It is obvious that the speaker, and not the lover, is experiencing the transition to old age and death, and that the speaker is trying to use metaphors from nature to explain that transition completely.

That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold