This young man is laid out in front of us and we are left with the idea that everything good comes to an end. I tried to put myself in the place of the young man. To have these things said about me in such a descriptive and yet so opaque way is unthinkable. As I think about the meaning of this poem I think of how the boy felt when he hears the bible reference and then in the very next line all attention is on him and his “eternal lines”. While the young man’s “eternal summer shall not fade” they ask him in such a subtle (or not subtle) way to continue his lineage. If he has a child and the child isn’t as beautiful as he is, what will happen?
If I think about the speaker having an attraction to the boy I am able to handle these poems, otherwise it just seems cruel. If the speaker doesn’t believe in what he’s saying, the boy has to wonder if any of it is true.
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