Question

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course

untrimm'd



Read the second quatrain of the sonnet, and then answer the questions below. What is the best paraphrase of the first two lines? What is the best paraphrase of the last two lines?

Answer 1

The sun is sometimes too hot or dim.

Beauty eventually fades

Answer 2

The best paraphrase of the first two lines would be:

Sometimes, the sun shines too bright, but it is often occluded by clouds.

The best paraphrase of the last two lines would be:

Eventually, beauty fades, be it from chance or the passing of time.