Sonnet notes 20

Sonnet 77, line 5: “The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show”

This sonnet discusses the gift of a book, which is said to profit the Young Man by allowing him to remember his mind’s imprint by rereading what he has written in what are now its vacant leaves. He likens it to a sun dial that shows how his precious minutes waste and a mirror (glass) that shows how his beauties wear. The mirror is mentioned in line 1 and repeated in line 5, when it truly shows the Young Man’s wrinkles. This is new. The poet has previously mentioned his own wrinkles, but until now, the Young Man has always been the essence of youth and beauty. This is the first time he is envisioned as an aging man. He is being reminded that he will not stay young forever as the precious minutes press on. It seems even more likely now that Sonnet 60 was a warning (see Sonnet notes 18) that is now coming back to haunt the Young Man in Sonnet 77. Is he listening?