a) What does the poet mean by ‘the first’? b) How are the first different from others that follow?

Question

Read the extract and the answer the questions that follow:

As the first were made to blind
Others, these which come behind
Will work upon ourselves, and blind our eyes.
If our loves faint, and westwardly decline,
To me thou, falsely, thine,
And I to thee mine actions shall disguise.
The morning shadowes wear away,
But these grow longer all the day;
But oh, love's day is short, if love decay.
Love is a growing, or full constant light,
And his first minute, after noone, is night.

a) What does the poet mean by ‘the first’?

b) How are the first different from others that follow?

c) What is meant by love declining westward?

d) What does morning shadows represent?

e) What is the night symbolic of?

f) Which word is an apt synonym for ‘thine’ 

(i) Ours
(ii) yours
(iii) hers
(iv) their

Answer 1

(a) noon shadows

(b) In the first lovers still care and love each other despite waning of the physical attraction.

(c) Like the sun setting westward- the love between the poet and lovers declines 

(d) he and his beloved will not remain true to each other. Hence, both the lovers will become oblivious to each other.

(e) Morning shadows represent night symbolic of -darkness-comes in lives of lovers due the death of their love- 

(f) (ii) yours