'Sonnet IV' Summary

Hartley Coleridge's Sonnet IV is a profound meditation on the passage of time, beauty, and memory. The speaker contemplates the ephemeral nature of life and the way time relentlessly erodes even the most beautiful experiences. He finds solace in the enduring power of memory, which allows him to revisit and cherish the past, even as it fades. The sonnet is filled with imagery of nature, comparing the fleeting beauty of blossoms to the transient nature of youth and love. Through his reflective tone, Coleridge explores the bittersweet reality of accepting the inevitability of loss, while finding solace in the enduring power of memory and the beauty of the present moment.