I Look Into My Glass

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Themes

About his body aging while his soul stays youthful

1st person

- written in cross-ryhme 

- shows continuous passing of time

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1st Stanza

'wasting skin'

- sign of aging 

- falling apart - decomposing - body is already dead

'Would God it come to pass my heart had shrunk as thin'

- direct speech - commenting on what he sees

- praying to God that it happens

- 'heart' makes him feel love and compassion

- doesnt want to feel strongly anymore. Wants his heart to be the same as what he sees

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2nd Stanza

'For then, I, undistrest'

- if his heart were weak as his appearance suggests if people don't love him he wouldn't care - undisstressed

'by hearts grown cold to me'

- suggests he was loved once - doesn't want to be hurt by heart break anymore

- worse to be loved then forgotten

- assonance focuses on 'grown cold'

'lonely wait my endless rest'

-'endless rest'

- death (goes on forever) 

- rest suggests comfortless linked through assonance, juxtaposition and sibilance 

- awaiting and accepting death as coming for him

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3rd Stanza

'But Time,'

-'Time' - abstract

- personification shows importance = mean and cruel

- time may steal your youthful looks but leaves you with your youthful thoughts = vindictive

- stolen youth but left you with age

'make me grieve'

-loss of love = no one loves him anymore

'part steals, lets part abide'

-repition of part suggests division just like his body and mind

- feels he is trapped in old body with young mind

- ',' = break in sentence adds emphasis

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3rd Stanza Continued

- 'lets part abide' = funeral hymn

'fragile frame at eve'

-alliteration emphasises that his body is weak

- 'eve' means evening

- end of line, life stanza, poem

- metaphor for end of life

- body is at the evening but mind is at noon

'throbbings' = heartache

'noontide'

- young man growing older 

- maturity towards the end of day and end of life

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