Fern Hill Time Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #7

       Time held me green and dying (53)

Time holding the speaker can be interpreted several ways. For example, time could have held him as if you might hold someone who is sick or "dying." But also, time could hold him like a baby, as in, cradled against his chest. At this point in the poem, we know that the speaker's view of time has changed from the beginning, so his relationship with time is complicated: part-protector, part-destroyer.