SONNET - 18: SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY--- BY ---SHAKESPEARE

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 Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day- 

BY 

 William Shakespeare 

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day

আমি কি তোমায় গ্রীষ্মের দিনের সাথে তুলনা করতে পারি?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

তুমি গ্রীষ্মের দিনের থেকে কত বেশী সুন্দর এবং অপরিবর্তনশীল।

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

ঝড়ো বাতাস মে মাসের সুন্দর কুঁড়ি ফুলকে ঝড়িয়ে দেয়

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

এবং গ্রীষ্মকালের মেয়াদ খুব অল্পদিনের।

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

মাঝে মাঝে সূর্য খুব উত্তাপ দেয়

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

এবং প্রায়শই তার সোনালী রং ফিকে হয়ে যায়

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

এবং প্রতিটি সুন্দর জিনিস থেকে তার সৌন্দর্য হারিয়ে যায়

By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed;

দুর্ভাগ্যবশত বা প্রকৃতির পরিবর্তনশীল নিয়মে এবং সবকিছুকে অগোছালো করে দেয়।

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

কিন্তু তোমার চির শাশ্বত যৌবন কখনো ধ্বংস হবে না

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

তুমি তোমার ধারণ করা সৌন্দর্য সম্পত্তি কখনো হারাবে না

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

এমনকি মৃত্যু তোমাকে বলতে পারবে না তার ছায়াতে ঘুরতে যাওয়ার জন্য

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:

যখন কবিতার অমর লাইনে যুগের পর যুগ ধরে তোমার সৌন্দর্য বৃদ্ধি পেয়ে যাবে।

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

যতদিন পৃথিবীতে মানুষ নিঃশ্বাস-প্রশ্বাস নেবে বা চোখ দেখতে পাবে

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

ততদিন আমার কবিতা বেঁচে থাকবে এবং ততদিন ধরে তোমাকে প্রাণ দিয়ে যাবে

SHORT QUESTIONS

FULL MARKS-2

 

1. What is sonnet? 

The term sonnet has come from the Italian word ‘sonetto’, which means "little song". Sonnet is a type of poem that basically contains fourteen lines and follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure.

 

2. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets in two sequences. His first sonnet sequence included 126 sonnets which were addressed to his friend, probably William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke and his second sonnet sequence included 28 sonnets which were addressed to a Dark Lady.

 

3. What is the rhyme scheme and structure of Shakespearean sonnet? 

Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains and a concluding couplet. It follows “abab cdcd efef gg” rhyme scheme.

 

4. What is the prosodic name of sonnet no-18?

Sonnet no-18 is an example of iambic pentameter.

 

5. When was this sonnet published? 

This sonnet was published in 1609.

 

6. Whom has the poet addressed in this poem? 

In this poem the poet has addressed his friend, probably William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke

 

7. Who is compared to the summer’s day? 

Poet’s beloved friend, probably William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke is compared to the summer’s day.

 

8. How did the poet’s friend out do the summer’s day? 

The poet’s friend out did the summer’s day in beauty and personality.

 

9. What is the literary meaning of ‘thou art’? 

What type of words are these? ‘Thou art’ means ‘you are’. These are the archaic words.

 

10. Give some similar meanings of the word ‘temperate’. 

Some similar meanings of the word ‘temperate’ are serious, mild, harsh, constant, having personality.

 

11. What affects the buds of May? 

The rough wind affects the buds of May.

 

12. How does the poet underestimate the summer?

The poet underestimates the summer by saying that its validity is very short in respect of comparison to the poet’s friend.

 

13. What does the phrase ‘eye of heaven’ mean?

The phrase ‘eye of heaven’ means the sun, the source of all power of the earth.

 

14. How does the poet underestimate the sun?

Accroding to the poet, the sun may shine very hot and its complexion may be very golden but its hotness and golden colour sometime dim.

 

15. What is the poet’s observation on beauty of natural objects? 

The poet gets a realization that every natural object’s beauty is subjected to decay or decline.

 

16. How does every natural object lose its beauty?

Every natural object loses its beauty by misfortune or by the impact of time.

 

17. What does the phrase “eternal summer” mean?

The phrase “eternal summer” means the eternal youth and vigour of the poet’s friend.

 

18. What does the word “ow’st” mean? 

The word “ow’st” may mean “ownest” as well as “owest”. In Shakespeare’s time the words “own” and “owe” both had the similar meaning.

 

19. What possession does the poet’s friend own?

The poet’s friend owns the possession of eternal beauty.

 

20. Why will the death not able to brag the poet’s friend? 

The death not able to brag the poet’s friend as his friend will always be immortal in the lines of poet’s poetry.

 

21. How many days will poet’s poerty live on?

According to the poet, as long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long his poetry will live on.

 

22. What does the word ‘shade’ signify? 

The word ‘shade’ signifies the ‘shadow of death’.

 

FULL MARKS -5/6

 

1) Give the substance of the sonnet "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?".

Ans: In Shakespeare's sonnet "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" which belongs to his first sonnet sequence, the poet opens the poem with a question if the poet would compare his friend to a summer's day. According to the poet, everything is subjected to decay. The powerful impact of 'Time' will spare nothing even summer, spring's beautiful bud or sun's brightness. Everything is fated to decline or fade 'by chance, or nature's changing course'. But the poet thinks that his friend will outdo the summer's day in beauty, personality; the spring's bud, summer and the sun in lasting as he will never die and the beauty and youth that he possesses will remain forever. He believes so because as long as there is breath in the mankind, his poetry too will live on and it is the spell of his verse which will immortalize his friend even after his death. The magic of Shakespeare's verse will transport his friend from time to timelessness.

 

2) So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee" --Explain. Or, How does the poet make his friend immortal?

Ans: These two lines belong to Shakespeare’s Sonnet No-18 which is a sincere tribute by the poet to the eternal beauty of his friend. The poet realizes that every natural object that may have extraordinary beauty is subjected to decay or end. The powerful impact of 'Time' will spare nothing even summer, spring's beautiful bud or sun's brightness. This very thought is certainly painful, but the poet has no feelings of dismay because his friend will remain beyond the clutch of death as he has firm faith in the power of his poetry to immortalize its subjects. He believes that As long as men exist in the world, his poem will also exist, and it is the spell of his poem which will immortalize his friend even after his death.

 

 

3) How does Shakespeare show the transience of natural object in his Sonnet-18? / “And every fair from fair sometime declines”—Explain the line

Ans: In the sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” the poet William Shakespeare displays a very tragic truth of every natural object. He gets a realization that every natural object that may have extraordinary beauty or strength is very transient in the time field of the universe. Everything is fated to end or decay by the impact of ‘Time’. In support of this, the poet mentions few examples like summer, May’s beautiful bud, sun. According to the poet, summer session may be very pleasant but its duration is very short. The short span of May’s beautiful bud also directs the transience of nature’s beauty. Even the all-important sun does not always remain constant in its brightness. So the poet, in this sonnet, actually means to say that “every fair from fair” thing will lose its beauty 'by chance, or nature's changing course'.

 

4) How does the poet compare his friend to the summer session and beautiful bud?

Ans: In Shakespeare's sonnet "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" which belongs to his first sonnet sequence, the poet opens the poem with a question if the poet would compare his friend to a summer's day. The poet considers that his friend is superior to the summer in lasting. And also in contrast to a summer’s day, poet’s friend is more beautiful and temperate. Even summer’s scorching sun is sometime dimmed by cloud or something else; whereas poet’s friend’s quality and beauty is constant. Besides the poet thinks that the spring’s bud having extraordinary beauty loses its beauty and gets an end by the rough wind but his friend’s ‘summer’ i.e. youth and beauty will remain for infinite time.

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